A Parent's Love For Their Child
by Myra109
Summary: (Even if they're not technically related, is still one of the strongest things in existence). Ray and Henry have a sort of father-son relationship, but they didn't realize it until something happened that made them realize how much they cared about each other. A parent's love for their child is stronger than magic, disease, guilt, and so much more. Collection of oneshots, mostly AU
1. Stronger Than Magic

_Hello._

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Henry Danger**_

 _ **WARNINGS: MOLESTATION**_

 **Summary: Ray and Henry have a father son kind of relationship, but** **they didn't realize it until Gwen hurts Henry. Let's just say, Ray's anger and protective nature overpowered his muffin-induced love. AU, non-graphic molestation, Episode: Love Muffin**

* * *

Henry's back connected with the wall of the back room he was trapped in as he tried to get as far away from Gwen as possible. She was smiling an unnerving grin, her eyes hauntingly beautiful and glinting with a frightening kind of mischief. The woman neared him, and when Henry's back hit the wall, she continued to approach him until her nose brushed against his as she whispered a statement into his ear:

"I don't think you'll tell Ray about what I'm going to do, but in case you even consider it... I have Ray wrapped around my little finger. He'll never believe you. He could fire you or wipe your memories. If I asked him to hurt you, he would do it in a heart beat. If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut."

Henry swallowed, glancing around her at the door, wondering if there was a way to get around her. He'd tried gently pushing her out of the way. When that didn't work and Henry's panic increased, he tried shoving her with all his strength, but for someone who looked so petite, so physically incapable of overpowering a boy that fought crime for a living, she was built like a brick wall.

"What are you going to do?" Henry asked, wanting to get this over with so he could escape and get back to Charolette and Shwoz and find out a way to free Ray from this woman's spell.

She laughed. "Don't look so tense. You'll enjoy it."

Her hands began to trail down his chest, her fingertips barely brushing his shirt. At first, Henry was just confused; he was only fifteen and a naive fifteen year old, at that. He didn't understand.

But when her hands landed on his belt, he understood perfectly.

"No!" He yelped, trying to push her away. "Char! Shwoz! RAY! HELP!"

As Henry prepared to scream once more, her lips connected with his, and he thrashed in her arms, tears beginning to trickle down his cheeks, despite his best efforts to keep himself from crying.

Her lips moved against Henry's while he tried to bite her, kick her, something, but she was nearly as tough as Ray, despite her weak appearance.

Her hands fumbled with his belt before slipping her hands into his pants.

Henry sobbed against her lips, wanting to escape this situation. He was surprised because he didn't want his mom or dad or Charolette in that moment. He wanted Ray.

She was just beginning to pull his pants down the rest of the way when his prayers were answered, and the door creaked open.

"What's going on? I heard yelling," Ray said before he noticed the situation.

Gwen's hand inside Henry's pants, touching him while the said boy cried. His lips were bruised, and Henry was breathing rapidly, on the verge of hyperventilating.

Rage fueled him, overpowering the love he felt for Gwen and replaced by a fiercer kind of love- a parent's love for their child (Ray was more of a father to Henry than the boy's biological father was).

"Ray, honey," Gwen chirped as she removed her hands from Henry, no longer pinning him to the wall with her weight. "He seduced me and made me touch him. It was disgusting!" She spat, making Henry flinch as he looked from Ray to her and then back again.

"Oh, yeah?" Ray hissed. "Then why is he the one crying?"

"Because he's a sick pervert who-"

Gwen didn't get to finish her sentence.

In that moment, Ray abandoned the well known and respected rule of 'never hit a girl (unless she hits you first or she's a villain/criminal, and there are no other ways to subdue her)' and slugged Gwen across the face using one of his favorite moves (a punch that would knock the person unconscious but cause no permanent damage, although it would _hurt_ ). She tumbled to the floor and didn't get back up.

Ray glanced back at Henry, and his heart cracked when he saw his strong side kick shivering in the corner, his clothes still disheveled and more tears joining the ones already staining his face.

Ray knelt beside Henry and lightly placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. When Henry didn't flinch or pull away, Ray helped the side kick fix his clothes and stand up, wiping his tears away.

"It'll be okay," Ray assured him as he helped the boy walk on his quivering legs.

Ray walked into the main part of the Man Cave, where Shwoz and Charolette glanced up.

"What happened?" Charolette asked, distressed by the sight of Henry in such an emotional state.

"Gwen happened," Ray grumbled. "Shwoz, go tie her up until we can bring her to the cops. She's in the supply closet."

Shwoz nodded and rushed off while Ray motioned to Charolette that he'd be right back before he lead Henry up the stairs and into his bedroom.

He helped Henry lay down in the bed and was about to walk away when Henry grabbed his hand.

"Stay," Henry murmured.

Ray smiled. "Of course, kiddo."

The man seated himself beside the teenager and laid beside Henry, an arm wrapped around the boy. Henry snuggled into Ray's side and quickly drifted off to sleep, the toll of that day's events dragging him down into exhaustion and later, slumber.

"Amazing," a familiar voice mumbled from the doorway, and Ray looked up from Henry to see Charolette leaning against the doorframe. "Something can overpower Gwen's spell... a parent's love for their child."

Ray frowned. "But I'm not-"

"Ray, Henry sees you as a father, and I know that you see him as a son. That's just as good as a biological parent's relationship with their biological child, if not even more powerful."

Ray sighed and despite all the explanations he'd have to give to Charolette and Shwoz and all the explanations they would have to give him (everything was a little hazy ever since he ate that muffin), he smiled and gazed down at Henry's face. He'd always had a close relationship with Henry, but he'd never known the right words to describe it until now. The relationship was stronger than boss and employee, stronger than just friends, and he'd never been able to find the right words to describe their relationship until today.

"A parent's love for their child..." Ray muttered, repeating Charolette's words. "I couldn't have described it better myself."

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Bye, everyone!_


	2. Stronger Than Guilt

_Some readers wanted me to continue this, so I decided to make it a collection!_

 ** _Definition: I own nothing._**

 **Summary** : **What if Henry got a concussion during his fight with Ray in the episode Love Muffin? AU**

* * *

Ray roared as he grabbed Henry's arm and flipped him over. He barely noticed the audible crack Henry's head made as it connected with the ground.

How dare Henry suggest that Gwen was dating someone else? How dare Henry suggest that Ray was old, that he wasn't good looking? How dare-

"Come on!" Ray bellowed. "You picked the fight! Are you done, or do you want some more?"

Henry didn't reply.

"Henry!" Ray yelled, raising his fist. He expected Henry to flinch, but Henry didn't move. "Henry…" Ray repeated in a quiet, anxious tone as he lowered his fist.

Ray knelt beside Henry, who was lying face down on the cold floor on the Man Cave, and he slowly rolled the boy over, only to inhale sharply upon seeing the damage he'd done.

Three trails of blood trickled down Henry's forehead. One brushed past his temple and disappeared into his hair; another snaked around his nose and was dripping into the cracks in Henry's chapped lips. The third caked around his eyelid and was forming a droplet that rested upon Henry's cheekbone.

He wasn't moving.

"Kid!" Ray shouted, worry coursing through him.

A soft whir sounded as the circular doorway opened, and Gwen stepped onto the staircase.

"Well, Ray, I'm going to rob the bank," she chirped, not even noticing that Ray was leaning over the still form of Henry Hart as she stood under the tube.

"Ray?" she called after not receiving a response. The tube descended around her. At this, she noticed Henry, and while she didn't look concerned, she did appear confused as to why Ray wasn't fawning over her in his muffin induced love.

"Shwoz, trap her in the tube!" Ray snapped, and before Gwen could even process that sentence, Shwoz hit the button to lock the tube. Just in case, he hit another button, and sleeping gas filled the tube, causing Gwen to immediately slip into a deep slumber.

"She should be out for about an hour," Shwoz muttered. "How's Henry?"

Ray lifted Henry's upper body, and he laid the boy's shoulders in the crook of his elbow, supporting the teen's head as best he could. Then, he examined the top of Henry's head.

Since Henry had blonde hair, it was a lot easier to see where the damage was. Droplets of scarlet stained Henry's hair a few centimeters from his hairline, and Ray swept aside Henry's hair to properly assess the injury.

It didn't look as bad as the blood on his forehead made it look. It was a long but narrow cut that was leaking blood, but it didn't look half as bad as Ray had feared.

Shwoz frowned upon seeing the injury. Thankfully, he didn't frown in a _Henry's doomed_ kind of way. It was more of a _deep in thought_ kind of frown.

"Follow me, and bring Henry," he instructed.

Ray lifted Henry in his arms bridal style. Luckily, the kid wasn't that heavy; he was actually surprisingly light. Too heavy for Charlotte to lift him, but light enough that his friend Jasper could've done it easily. Henry's head rolled against Ray's shoulder as Ray carried him to a metal table Shwoz walked over to in the corner of the room, and Ray rested Henry on the table, grabbing a nearby pillow to sit under his head. It probably wouldn't help the injury if Henry shifted and banged his head against the metal table.

Shwoz went into the next room to grab some supplies just as Henry stirred.

"Ray," he slurred, lifting his arm with some difficulty and reaching towards Ray. The injury must've been affecting his vision because he wound up grasping the air just to the side of Ray.

Ray grabbed Henry's hand and laid it on the table, gripping the boy's hand in his own as Shwoz returned.

"What happened?" Henry asked.

"We got into a fight, and you hit your head," Ray answered, guilt turning in his stomach as he thought of the injury he had caused.

"You hurt me?" Henry murmured, confusion and betrayal shining in his eyes.

Ray nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't mean to, and I promise that I will never hurt you again, okay, kiddo?"

Henry nodded before wincing.

"Don't move your head," Shwoz ordered, shining a light into Henry's eyes before grabbing one of those reflex hammers they use in doctor's offices and tapping it against Henry's knee.

A moment passed before Henry's leg jerked.

"Should it take so long?" Charlotte asked.

Shwoz shook his head as he jotted something down on a piece of paper.

"Delayed reflexes," he muttered. "Temporary unconsciousness. Vision problems."

Shwoz preformed a few more tests before setting his paper and tools down and turning to Ray.

"Henry has a concussion," he said.

Ray's eyes widened.

He'd given his sidekick a concussion.

Oh my goodness…

"It's a mild one," Shwoz assured Ray and Henry's other friends. "We will need to watch him carefully, but he should start to return to normal in a few weeks and be perfectly fine within two months, if his recovery goes well."

"What about Henry's parents?" Jasper asked. "Won't they ask how he got a concussion?"

Charlotte shrugged. "We'll tell them he's going out of town with Ray for a few weeks. They trust Ray, and it's not like they pay much attention to Henry anyway, so if we needed to, we could wait a week, and by then, they _might_ notice he hasn't come home."

Charlotte's tone spoke volumes about her opinion on Henry's parents and their parenting. They cared for Henry; she couldn't deny that, but the fact that Henry had been working as Kid Danger for two years now and they didn't even expect showed how little they paid attention to him. Piper, who was on her phone ninety percent of the time, noticed more about Henry than they did, and while she hadn't figured out the truth yet, there had been some extremely close calls.

Ray sighed. "Well, I'll get the memory eraser, erase Gwen's memory, and turn her over to the police. You three, watch Henry while I'm gone. When I get back, I can take over and you two can go home," he told Charlotte and Jasper.

After changing into Captain Man, Ray erased Gwen's memory of Ray and Henry before hauling the woman down to the police station and smiling contently as she was locked up.

Her muffins had caused this. They'd made Ray get so angry at Henry…

But they hadn't made Ray hurt him. No. That was all on him.

Ray returned to the Man Cave to find Henry resting on the couch with Charlotte sitting next to him, looking almost as concerned and sad as she had during the Dream-Coma-Incident Henry had had to endure when he was blasted with that Dream Ray (what happened in the episode Dream Busters, I mean).

"How is he?" Ray asked.

"He woke up a few times,' Charlotte replied. "He was always asking for you."

Ray stared at the injured boy lying on the couch, the fight flashing through his mind.

"Don't beat yourself up, Ray," Charlotte told him as she stood.

"I hurt him," Ray pointed out, brushing aside Henry's hair to reveal the bandage Shwoz had used to dress the wound.

Charlotte nodded. "But Gwen's muffins were influencing you. Look, I'm not going to say you're innocent or guilty, but don't beat yourself up. If you really want to make it up to Henry, take care of him while he's at his weakest."

With that, Charlotte exited the Man Cave, followed by Jasper, and Shwoz disappeared into the next room.

Ray sat beside Henry and stared at the slumbering, relaxed face of his side kick.

He loved Henry like a son. He had a father son kind of relationship with Henry.

What kind of father would hurt their child, though?"

Henry shifted and mumbled.

"Ray?" he managed.

"Shh," Ray whispered. "Go back to sleep, kid. You need to rest right now, okay?"

Henry blinked before his eyes slipped closed once more, and Ray stood, slipping one arm under Henry's knees and another around his shoulders before carrying the boy up the stairs and into his own bedroom.

He rested Henry on the bed and started to head for the door, planning to sleep on the couch, when he felt a hand grab his and stop him in his tracks.

"Stay?" Henry pleaded, his lips wobbling. He looked so much younger than he was, and it hurt Ray to see him this way, but in a way, it also made Ray feel closer to Henry. After all, he'd only seen the strong, independent hero and the funny, friendly pal. He'd never seen the child like, the _vulnerable_ side of Henry, and while it was hard to see the strong kid so vulnerable, it did make Ray feel like he was seeing a side of Henry he'd never seen before.

Ray nodded. "Sure, kid."

Ray laid down beside Henry, and Henry curled up beside him. Ray was a little shocked at first, but he wrapped an arm around Henry without hesitation.

"Goodnight, Kid," Ray said.

"Goodnight… Dad."

Henry had already drifted off, but Ray lay awake, Henry's statement ringing in his mind.

 _Dad._

Henry was probably just disoriented and had mistaken Ray for his father, but something told Ray that Henry had known exactly who Ray was, but he called him Dad anyway.

Ray saw Henry as a son, and Henry saw Ray as a father. Ray cherished that thought; he'd never had a kid, but Henry was like his child, and Ray never wanted to let him go.

Ray brushed aside Henry's hair and stared at the bandage covering the head injury.

He promised himself that he would never, ever hurt Henry again, and he wouldn't let anything or anyone else hurt Henry either. He would not let anything take this sweet boy away from him. A feeling started to bloom in his chest-a warm, determined, protective feeling that filled his entire body- and Ray knew exactly what it was.

A parent's love for their child.

* * *

 _I will probably continue you this at some point, but this story will not have any specific updating schedule. It'll be updated when inspiration strikes, so one month, it could be updated five times, but then there may be three months with no updates. That is how this story will be updated. If you'd like to suggest an idea for the next chapter or an episode you'd like me to write about, you can leave me a review or send me a PM, and I will get back to you as soon as possible._

 _Thanks for reading!_


	3. Stronger Than Disease

_Hello!_ _Welcome back to A Parent's Love For Their Child! Sorry it took me so long to get a new chapter out, but when I saw how many people were reviewing, I was surprised that so many people liked this story and was inspired to write a new chapter._

 _The seven grr- I'm glad you're enjoying the story!_

 _Guest- I am going to be doing the episode Sick and Wired at some point (hopefully within the next few chapters). Thanks for the request!_

 _I will be doing all requests at some point, but I watched this episode the other week, and this idea popped into my head, and I decided to go ahead and write it down._

 _These are the episodes I am planning to do soon:_

 _Sick And Wired_

 _License To Fly_

 _Henry's Jelly_

 _Ox Pox (I will actually be doing two chapters based on this episode)_

 _Danger And Thunder_

 _Hour Of Power_

 _Tears Of A Jolly Beetle_

 _You can still give suggestions for different episodes or ideas for one of the episodes listed above (if you have an idea for one of the episodes I listed, you can still suggest that idea because there will be times where I will do multiple chapters on the same episode)._

 _Anyway, that was a long Author's note, so on with the story._

 _EPISODE: GREEN FINGERS_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Henry Danger or any of its characters in any way, shape, or form._**

 _Also, in this chapter, the disease has much worse symptoms than it did in the show. In the show, it just looked like a really bad cold, but in this story, I made Henry have more symptoms, as well as some severe ones, to add more hurt/comfort and make the parent child relationship between Ray and Henry seem sweeter than it already is._

* * *

Henry Hart did not feel well.

He woke up that morning feeling achy and exhausted, and it took all of his effort just to get out of bed. Mucus was streaming out of his nose like a water fall, and he could _feel_ his eyes getting puffier by the second as they watered, endlessly. His stomach rolled with nausea, but no matter how long he sat on the bathroom floor, nothing came up.

Finally, he struggled to his feet (nearly falling over due the sudden dizzy spell that snuck up on him) and opened the bathroom door, heading for the kitchen.

He ran into Piper on the stairs.

"Ew!" she yelped. "Do not get me sick! I need to go see Glowzella later!"

"Who's Glowzella?" Henry muttered as she continued up the stairs. "You know what: it doesn't matter."

"I'm off to play Dad Mitton!" his father said, cheerfully, as Henry entered the kitchen.

"What's Dad Minton?" Henry asked, his voice sounding nasally and gross.

"Badminton, but for dads," his father said, holding up a racquet.

Henry nodded. "Forget I asked."

"Henry, are you sick?" his mother asked.

Henry shrugged. "It's just a cold. I'll be fine after some orange juice."

His mother crossed the room and held a thermometer in front of his lips.

"Open," she muttered.

"Mom, I don't need-" Henry began, but when he opened his mouth to continue speaking, his mom shoved the thermometer into his mouth and waited for it to beep before taking the thermometer back out of his mouth.

"One hundred and one point eight," she read. "No work for you."

Henry sighed. "So you just want me to laze around and watch TV and play on my phone all day instead of running around at work, doing boring jobs and stuff?"

His mother nodded.

Henry shrugged, sipping from his glass of orange juice. "Okay. I need to go call my boss," he said as he headed for the door.

His parents stared at him, wondering where he was going.

"I usually make my calls… out on the porch," he said.

They continued to stare.

"Bye," Henry finished before walking outside and flipping the top part of his watch up, and a hologram of Ray popped up.

"Hey, Ray, I can't make it to work today," he said.

Ray frowned. "Why?"

"I'm sick-"

"Oh, so you're in the hospital?" Ray asked.

Henry shook his head. "Well, no, but-"

"Henry, I pay you good money and I expect you to be on time to work every day and to be present every single day, so-"

"All right, I'm coming!" Henry groaned, not wanting to listen to his coworker complain anymore.

Henry snapped the lid of his watch shut and started the short walk to work.

* * *

"Hey, Henry!" Charlotte greeted as he entered the Man Cave. "You do not look good."

"Thanks, Charlotte, you look amazing, too," Henry said, sarcastically.

"You know what I mean," she said.

"Well, in that case, I don't feel too good either," Henry muttered.

"One of the best things about being indestructible is I never get sick," Ray said, painting on a canvas while Jasper held the palette of paints.

"Lucky you," Henry mumbled. "Orange juice," he added, pressing his hand against the food supplier (I don't know what they call that thing, the place where they get food in the Man Cave).

He accepted the small bottle of orange juice the machine offered him, and he leaned back on the couch, sipping the juice.

"Hey, guys!" Shwoz said as he entered the Man Cave.

"Hey," Charlotte returned.

"Don't care," Ray said, absently.

"Hey, Shwoz," Henry said, waving.

Shwoz cried out, making all of them turn towards him; his eyes were fixed on Henry's hand, and Henry saw that his pinky finger was a disgusting green color.

"What?" Ray asked.

"Nothing," Shwoz said, slowly. "I will be right back."

He disappeared into the next room before returning a moment later with a gas mask over his face.

"Henry, by any chance, did you go into my lab yesterday?" Shwoz asked as he gestured for Henry to stand up.

Henry frowned. "Yeah. You wanted me to clean your beakers."

"Oh," Shwoz said, looking mildly alarmed, as he gently pushed Henry under the tube and brought the tube down, trapping Henry inside.

"Hey!" Henry yelled. "Why did you just trap me in the tube?"

"Yeah," Ray said, walking over to Shwoz. "Why did you just trap him in the tube?"

"You know how I wanted to find a cure for some horrible disease?" Shwoz asked.

A chorus of yeses rang throughout the room.

"Well, the only way I could do that was by creating my _own_ horrible disease."

"What?" the boys demanded.

"Shwoz!" Charlotte yelled.

"And Henry has this disease?" Ray asked.

Shwoz nodded. "Green fingers are one of the symptoms of my disease, and… well, look at his pinky fingers," Shwoz said as Henry held up his hands to display his green pinkies.

"How do you cure me?" Henry asked.

Shwoz shrugged. "Uh, I haven't figured out a cure yet."

"What?" Ray and Henry demanded.

"I haven't figured out a cure. The disease is very contagious and very dangerous, so we need to find a place to quarantine Henry," Shwoz said.

"Is he going to be okay?" Charlotte asked.

Shwoz swallowed. "Until we find the cure, he's only going to get worse, and when all of his fingers are green…" he trailed off.

"Henry's going to die?" Charlotte shouted.

"What's going on?" Jasper asked as he walked out of the elevator.

"Henry's going to die!" Charlotte repeated.

"What?" Jasper asked.

"He's not going to die!" Ray shouted. "I want all of you to get to work on finding a cure. Do it quickly and do it here so we can have the cure as soon as possible. I will take Henry to the spare room and care for him there."

"Ray," Shwoz said, "my disease is so powerful, there is a chance that it could spread to an indestructible person. You could get sick."

"Well, then, you best start working on that cure so you can have enough for two," Ray said. "Start working."

Jasper lifted the tube, freeing Henry, and Ray lunged forward as Henry was hit with another dizzy spell and tumbled forward, falling into Ray's arms.

"Here are a list of symptoms," Shwoz said, handing Ray a piece of paper. "Dizziness is one of them. If he has any symptoms that are not on the list, tell me."

Ray nodded before the superhero carried his side kick down the hall and into the spare room, where he laid a sleeping or unconscious Henry on the bed.

Ray sighed as he leaned against the wall, staring at Henry.

As Charlotte said earlier, Henry did not look good. His face was pale and flushed, and he was shivering in his sleep. Ray could feel the heat radiating off of the teenage boy, and he was sweating up a storm. His breathing was uneven and loud as it exited his mouth, and he looked like the sick kids you see in the hospital, which didn't help Ray's worry.

Ray wasn't sure whether to regret making Henry come to work when he was obviously so sick or be _glad_ he made Henry come to work. If Henry hadn't come to work, Shwoz wouldn't have recognized the disease and started working on a cure. If Henry had stayed home, by the time Shwoz discovered that Henry had gotten sick with his disease, it might've been too late. But Ray still felt guilty about forcing his side kick to come to work when he was clearly too sick to do so.

"Ray," Henry mumbled. "'M cold."

Ray pulled the blanket over Henry and smiled down at the boy he saw as the son he'd never had.

"Better?" Ray asked.

Henry nodded. "Thanks."

Ray nodded. "You're welcome, kiddo," he said, but Henry was already asleep.

* * *

An hour passed. An hour full of worry and concern and fear before Henry sat up so quickly, he nearly fell off of the bed.

"Woah, kid!" Ray exclaimed, grabbing Henry just in time. "What's wrong?"

Henry groaned and held his stomach, and that's when Ray noticed the green tinge to Henry's face.

"Oh!" Ray said before grabbing the waste basket and holding it under Henry's chin while soothingly rubbing Henry's back as the blonde boy heaved.

"Shh," Ray murmured. "I'm here. It's okay."

"Everything hurts," Henry moaned.

"I know," Ray said, "but you'll feel better real soon. Do you think you're going to throw up anymore?"

Henry shook his head.

"Okay, lay back down, Kid," Ray said, helping Henry to lay down on the bed while placing the waste basket on the floor beside the bed. "I'll be right back."

Ray walked out of the room and wandered into the main part of the Man Cave, where he found Shwoz hooking Jasper up to some medieval torture device.

"You make one kid sick, and you torture the other?" Ray asked. "What's next? Are you going to lock Charlotte in the dungeon?"

"You have a dungeon?" Charlotte asked.

Ray shook his hand in a kind-of-maybe-sort-of gesture. "Not really a dungeon, per se. More like a collection of cells below the storage unit."

"So a dungeon?" Charlotte said.

"Yes, but less dark and more dusty," Ray said. "Anyway, what's going on with Jasper?"

"He is going to be part of our cure," Shwoz explained. "Something in Jasper's blood makes him totally immune to the disease, so his blood might have the right components to fight off the virus, and with the right ingredients added, it could cure Henry and anyone else who gets the disease."

"How long will it take?" Ray asked.

"An hour, maybe a little more," Shwoz said. "How many of Henry's fingers are green?"

"Last time I checked, it was just starting to spread onto his middle finger," Ray answered.

"Then, we'll need to hurry," Shwoz said. "Ray, watch Henry. He will start getting worse very soon, so you need to watch him carefully until we have the cure done."

Ray nodded. "Got it."

* * *

As Shwoz had said, Henry did indeed get worse.

Ray was sitting in his chair, watching Henry sleep, when Henry scrunched up his face in discomfort, and his shivering increased.

Ray reached forward and pressed a hand against Henry's forehead, wincing at how burning it truly was.

Ray grabbed a thermometer off of the nightstand (he'd taken it from the bathroom to check Henry's temperature every now and then. It had been fluctuating all day, getting worse before cooling down before getting worse again and repeating the cycle) and inserted it into Henry's mouth.

It beeped, and Ray's eyes widened as he stared at the number on the tiny screen.

105.2

That was seizure territory, hospital territory… people had even died from such high fevers, usually because 105.2 was only a few degrees away from the maximum for a core temperature.

Ray whipped the blankets off of Henry and carried the boy into the bathroom, running the water as he sat Henry on the floor.

Ray stood and ran for the bathroom door.

"Ray!" Henry cried, but as much as his cry broke Ray's heart, Ray didn't stop as he bolted into the main part of the Man Cave, where Jasper was groaning as Shwoz drew blood from his body.

"The cure is almost ready," Shwoz said.

"Hurry!" Ray ordered as he smacked a hand on the food machine. "Ice. As much as possible."

The machine dropped four bags of ice onto the shelf, and Ray grabbed it.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked.

"Fever. _Really bad_ fever," Ray said, not even turning around as he sprinted down the hallway and into the bathroom.

"Ray!" Henry whined. "It's cold and hot… and… and…" Henry trailed off.

"Henry, stay awake!" Ray commanded as he poured all four bags of ice into the already freezing water.

Ray braced himself as he took off Henry's pants and shirt, doing his best to avert his eyes, before gently lowering Henry into the water. Ray flinched as Henry sobbed, the cold temperature overwhelming his delirious brain.

"We have to get the fever down, okay?" Ray murmured. "I'm here. It's okay."

"Daddy…" Henry murmured, delirious.

Ray frowned. Henry knew who he was (he'd called him by his name more than once), so why was he calling him Daddy?

Despite Henry's condition, Ray couldn't help but smile.

Henry calmed down as he adjusted to the temperature, and Ray felt Henry's body temperature lower little by little. Finally, he placed the thermometer back into Henry's mouth.

103.0

"Not good, but better," Ray mumbled before picking Henry up and drying him off. Henry managed to put his own clothes on, but he didn't look fit to stay awake, much less stand, so Ray picked him up and carried him into the main part of the Man Cave.

"Is the cure done?" Ray asked.

Shwoz nodded, handing him a vial of purplish goo, which Ray proceeded to dribble into Henry's mouth.

"He'll start shaking, so don't freak out when-"

Shwoz was interrupted by Henry's yelp as he started convulsing, and Ray caught Henry as he rolled off of the couch, holding Henry in his arms as the boy trembled and shook, trying to keep his head from smacking against the ground.

It didn't take long before Henry went still, and he coughed as he opened his eyes, the green color slowly draining out of his fingers.

"Henry," Ray whispered. "Kid?"

"I'm okay…" Henry muttered. "Tired, though."

Ray nodded. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Ray hugged Henry, taking the boy by surprise, before Henry hugged back.

"He doesn't care when I get hit in the head three times in one day, but he hugs Henry when he gets sick," Charlotte grumbled.

Ray smiled. "Everyone, bring it in!"

"All of us?" Jasper asked.

"All of you, even you, Shwoz! Get in here!"

And they all hugged.

And Ray finally understood. These guys were more than just his coworkers. He knew he thought of Henry like the child he never had, but he never realized how much he saw Charlotte, Shwoz, and even Jasper as family, and maybe they saw him as their father (in Henry's case) or their big brother or their wild, hilarious uncle or something, but either way they saw each other as family.

Ray ruffled Henry's hair, and he smiled down at his side kick. He hadn't loved someone so deeply or wanted to protect someone so much in his entire life (except for his own mother and father). I guess it's true what they say.

A parent's love for their child (because Henry saw Ray as a father and Ray saw a Henry as a son; when you look at it like that, DNA doesn't matter) is one of the strongest things in this world.

* * *

 _Well, what'd you think of chapter 3? I love feedback (but keep it kind or constructive criticism because any flames will be ignored and reported if necessary), so please tell me what you thought in the form of a review or a PM!_

 _This is my longest chapter so far in terms of a total word count. The actual chapter is 2, 503 words, which is longer than the other two chapters I've written, and including the authors note, this chapter has a total word count of 3000 words._

 _Thanks for reading, and I will see you all next time (which I'm hoping will be very soon)! Goodbye, everyone!_


	4. Stronger Than Grief

_Hello, everyone! I want to thank SmolPotatoFry for giving me some ideas and supporting me._

 _This is based off of the newest episode. I can't wait until tonight! A new episode comes out, and I have a feeling it might give me some ideas for this story!_

 _EPISODE: CAR TREK_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Henry Danger or any of its characters._**

 ** _WARNINGS: CHARACTER DEATHS AND A PARENT ABANDONING THEIR CHILD_**

* * *

Henry heard his father mutter something over the phone, but the numbing medicine he'd been given when he'd had his wisdom teeth taken out made it too difficult to understand his words.

"Dad, would you just finish eating your shirt?" Piper yelled in frustration.

"Green truck!" their father yelled, more clearly this time.

Henry frowned in confusion until he jumped at the loud crash that sounded over the phone, the loud sound of the air bags inflating, the crunch of metal hitting metal, the shatter of windows breaking. Every horrible sound made Henry's heart skip another beat.

"Piper!" he shouted into the phone. "Dad! Piper!"

No response.

Henry leaned over Ray and pulled on the brake, leaping out of the RV before it even came to a complete stop; Henry sprinted down the street in search of his dad's car and his father and sister.

Henry skidded around the corner onto Madison, and he saw an accident up ahead. An accident involving his father's car.

Henry used all of his strength to pull open the passenger's side door, and he sobbed when he saw his father sitting in the seat with his eyes wide open. His shirt was in shambles from eating it, and that made the injuries on his body even more obvious from the indentions on his rib cage that must've been a few broken ribs to the bruises all over his stomach and shoulders from the seat belt; his head was hanging, limply, to the side, and all Henry could smell was the disgusting, coppery scent of blood and all he could hear was the thumping of his own heart in his ears.

"Daddy," Henry whimpered, in too much shock to say anything else. He stared at his dad for another moment before he collapsed against the side of the car and vomited on the side of the road until there was nothing left in his stomach.

When he finally stopped throwing up, Henry stumbled around to the other side of the car and stared at Piper. She wasn't in much better shape than their dad with blood trickling out of various cuts and nasty bruises covering every inch of skin. Henry was sure she was dead, just like their dad.

Until she groaned.

Henry yanked open the door and dragged Piper out of the car; he rested her on the pavement and placed her head on his lap, staring at her face as she cringed in pain.

"Kid Danger?" she muttered as her eyes fluttered open, and it was only then that Henry remembered he was still in uniform.

As much as Henry wanted to believe his sister could survive, he knew it was a false hope. She was dying in his arms; she didn't have much time left. He might as well tell her who he really is.

Henry lifted shaking fingers to his face and peeled off his mask to reveal his identity, and Piper didn't even have the energy to widen her eyes in shock.

"Henry," she murmured before the surprise faded and a smile appeared upon her face seconds before her chest stopped moving.

Henry raised his hand and used his fingertips to close Piper's empty eyes before holding her in his arms and crying into her shirt.

His sister, dead. His dad, dead. How could this happen?

Ray appeared at his side, and the older man knelt beside the boy, cradling the child in his arms like a parent would with their child.

Police sirens screamed in the distance, and Ray withdrew Henry's gumball dispenser from the boy's pocket, pressing the Emergency Button on the bottom of the cylinder. It was there in case one of them couldn't chew a gumball and needed to be changed back; they rarely ever had to use it, thankfully.

A bright green glow shined as Kid Danger and Captain Man became Henry Hart and Ray Manchester, and just in the nick of time. An ambulance and a police cruiser pulled onto the street and stopped in front of the car.

"Piper," Henry whispered as more tears began flowing, and Ray returned his attention to his side kick as a sympathetic officer approached them.

"Son," the officer said. "We need to take her now."

Henry shook his head with a sob as he clutched Piper's limp body tighter.

Ray nodded at the officer to tell him he could handle this before returning his gaze to Henry.

"Kid, I know it's hard," Ray murmured, "but they're going to take real good care of her, I promise. I'll take you to the Man Cave; we'll call your mom. Henry, I want to help you, but you need to let me."

Henry released a shaky breath before loosening his hold on Piper, and the officer lifted the twelve year old girl into his arms before going behind the car and out of sight.

Ray knew he had to get Henry away from the scene of the accident; the smell of gasoline and smoke, the sound of police speaking and cars driving by, and the sight of the accident itself would only distress his sidekick- his friend- even more.

Ray tried to pull Henry to his feet, but Henry wouldn't budge.

"He's probably in shock," an officer said. "Would you like for him to go to the hospital?"

Ray shook his head. "No. I think that would only stress him out more. I've got this."

"Are you his father?" the officer asked.

"No, the man that died in the accident was his dad. I'm his boss… and friend," Ray said before lifting Henry with one arm under his knees and the other around his shoulders.

Ray carried the sniffling boy (he was no longer crying, and that worried Ray more than the hysterical sobbing had) to the RV, where he found Jasper and Charlotte in tears, and Shwoz staring at the three teens in concern, but not knowing how to comfort them.

Ray rested Henry in the passenger's seat and began to drive away from the accident while Henry stared blankly out the window.

"Charlotte," Ray said, quietly. "Could you dial Henry's mom's number?"

Charlotte nodded and borrowed Jasper's phone to call Henry's mom before handing the phone to her boss.

"Yes?" Mrs. Hart questioned as she answered the phone.

"Mrs. Hart, this is Ray Manchester, Henry's boss. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Ray rattled off an explanation as gently as he could, and by the time he finished, he didn't hear sobbing or crying.

"Oh," the woman said in a detached voice, the shock weighing her down. "Can I speak with Henry?"

"Of course you can," Ray said, handing the phone to Henry.

"Mom?" Henry murmured.

"Henry, are you okay?"

"I'm not hurt. When can you be home?" Henry asked, wiping tears from his eyes.

"I'll be home first thing tomorrow. I'm sure your boss won't mind you staying over night," Mrs. Hart said. "I love you, Hen. See you tomorrow."

His mom hung up, and Henry handed the phone to Jasper.

"You can stay with me tonight," Ray said. "Jasper, Charlotte, do you two want to stay or are you going home?"

"I should go home," Charlotte said. "My mom will be worried."

"Mine, too," Jasper agreed. "Call us if you need anything. _Anything at all_ ," he added as Ray dropped them off in their neighborhood before driving towards Junk 'N Stuff.

Ray reached over and squeezed Henry's shoulder, comfortingly.

"It's going to be okay," Ray said, unsure of what else to say.

"No, it's not," Henry replied.

Ray nodded. "It's not. Yet. But I'll be here for you until it's better, okay?"

Henry nodded. "Thanks."

Ray only nodded as they pulled up in front of the store.

"Let's get inside," Ray said before helping Henry to stand and walk inside, heading for the Man Cave while Henry clung to Ray like Ray was the only thing keeping him standing. Which, I guess, Ray was the only thing keeping the boy standing as the weight of Henry's grief and fear weighed the teenage boy down.

Ray lead Henry down to the Man Cave, and he gave Henry a glass of water before curling up beside his sidekick on the couch and holding the boy in his arms while Henry stared into space with a completely blank expression. The officer had undoubtedly been right when he told Ray that Henry was in shock.

It didn't take long for Henry to drift off to sleep, but Ray stayed awake for a long time after Henry had fallen into slumber, and he was glad he did because Henry started muttering in a distressed tone around two AM.

"Daddy," he mumbled. "Piper, no. Don't leave me. No, please. I'm sorry. I should've been there. I'm sorry."

Ray sat up and began to shake Henry gently.

"Henry, it's just a dream," Ray said, shaking Henry a little harder.

"Help!" Henry cried. "Piper! Help! Mom! Charlotte! Someone!"

"Henry!" Ray yelled.

"Jasper! RAY!" Henry screamed as he awakened, and he began breathing heavily as Ray held the young boy in his arms.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here. I'm right here," Ray mumbled.

"Don't leave me," Henry begged.

Ray laughed, softly. "I wouldn't even dream of it," he replied, fighting back his tears. It hurt so much to see his friend, the person he saw as his son, in so much pain. Ray wanted to take Henry's pain, but how could he? Exactly. He couldn't take away the pain. All he could do was be there for Henry.

* * *

Henry's mom returned the following day, and weeks went by. Henry started getting better at first; at least, he didn't spend every waking moment crying, which Ray saw as an improvement. But then, he started getting worse, and Ray chalked it up to the grief, but something- a paternal instinct kind of thing- told him that it was more than that.

Two months passed, and then, Ray couldn't ignore his instincts any longer, and he went to Henry's house to speak with the boy's mother while Henry was at school.

He knocked. No answer. He knocked again. No answer.

Ray turned the doorknob and was surprised when it opened.

Ray walked inside and tried turning on the lights, but the room remained dark. Had Mrs. Hart forgotten to pay her bills? Ray couldn't blame her, considering she'd lost a husband and daughter.

Ray walked deeper inside the house, and his instinct drove him to open the cupboards in the kitchen, and he frowned when he found them empty.

No wonder Henry was eating so much at the Man Cave. It didn't look like there'd been nearly enough food in the house for weeks.

Ray took another step, and he frowned when he stepped on a crumpled up piece of paper, lying beside the trashcan. He picked it up and straightened it out, squinting to read the words in the darkness of the house.

 _Dear Henry,_

 _I'm sorry, but I just can't do this anymore. With your father gone… it's so hard being a single parent. I've thought about other people my whole life: my brothers and sisters, your father, you and Piper. It's about time I started thinking about myself._

 _I'm leaving. That tennis instructor I told you guys about? He's more than just my tennis instructor. I think he loves me more than your father ever did. I'm moving in with him out of state, but he doesn't like kids._

 _I don't know what you'll do. You can continue to live there and find a way to pay the bills or move in with a friend or relative._

 _I will not give you an address or a phone number. Henry, after all that's happened, I can't deal with you or Swellview right now. Don't come looking for me._

 _Believe it or not, I do love you, but love can't fix everything. Goodbye, Hen._

 _-Mom_

Henry had been abandoned… Ray checked the date in the right hand corner… just over a month ago! He hadn't told Ray or Charlotte or Jasper or anyone. He'd tried to handle this all by himself.

Ray had never been angrier at anyone as he thought of Henry's mother. Abandoning your child when he needs you the most! The difficulties of single parenting was no excuse for how she just up and left; she could've left Henry with a relative, a family friend, even Ray, if she had to leave at all. It was much better than leaving her son with bills and necessities and little money. Henry's job didn't pay enough to pay for bills or groceries or school supplies or health care or… or much of anything. The stress of money problems was too much when you put it on top of Henry's grief and hurt. No kid deserved this.

Why hadn't Henry told him?

The door opened, and Ray watched as Henry walked inside. Henry jumped when he turned away from the door after closing it and saw Ray standing in the kitchen.

"Ray," Henry said. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to your mom," Ray answered.

"She isn't here," Henry rushed to reply.

"I know," Ray said, holding up the note.

Henry froze.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ray asked. "I could've helped."

"I was embarrassed," Henry responded. "My own mother doesn't want me. She didn't even care enough to give me money before she left or even tell me she was leaving. She packed her bags, left a note, and got on a bus while I was still at work. I came home and found her gone."

"Henry, you can't do this on your own," Ray said. "Bills, groceries, school supplies, health care. What would you do if you got really sick or hurt, and you were all alone? How would you get to the hospital? And even if you managed to get there, how would you pay for treatment?"

Henry shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't know what to do when she left. You're Swellview's hero. You have enough to worry about keeping the town safe twenty four seven."

"Henry, I don't care if I'm busy. I'll always make time for you, especially for something like this. You're the closest thing I've ever had to a son," Ray told Henry. "You're moving in with me."

Henry's eyes widened. "Ray, you don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do. Go upstairs and pack an overnight bag. We'll get the rest of your things tomorrow."

Henry nodded and climbed the stairs while Ray sighed.

He couldn't help but wonder… how could anyone just leave their child? Henry wasn't even technically Ray's son, and Ray couldn't even imagine leaving him.

It hurt so much to think of how much Henry had gone through in such a short time…

There was no use dwelling on the pain and suffering Henry had gone through. Ray needed to focus on how he could help Henry because Heaven knows they have a long road ahead of them.

* * *

Ray's eyes widened as Henry scarfed down a plate of food.

"When was the last time you had groceries?" he asked.

"I ran out of food about a week and a half ago," Henry said. "I meant to use my paycheck to buy groceries, but bills got in the way."

Ray nodded. "No wonder you've been eating so much while you're here," Ray said, handing Henry another plate.

Henry nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's okay. I'm just glad I found out when I did. A sixteen year old suddenly finds himself living alone, completely unprepared for the situation… I'm surprised you lasted this long."

Henry nodded. "Me, too."

"When are you going to tell Jasper and Charlotte?" Ray asked.

Henry sighed. "Tomorrow. They'll be mad I didn't tell them sooner."

Ray nodded. "I can't blame them. We're here for you, Henry. You never need to worry about us leaving you, one way or another. Okay? We love you, and we'll help you through this."

"Thanks, Ray," Henry said.

Ray smiled. "You never need to thank me for caring, Henry."

Henry finished eating, and Ray showed him to the guest bedroom.

"We'll make it a little more… comfortable once you get settled in. Decorate it, dust, that kind of stuff," Ray said as he looked at Henry, and it was only then that he noticed how tired Henry looked. "When was the last time you got a decent night of sleep?"

Henry shrugged. "The night before the accident. As soon as I started sleeping through the night, Mom left, and the sleeping problems started again."

Ray nodded. "You head to bed. Sleep as long as you like. I think I can hold down the fort for a day or two while you rest."

Henry smiled. "Thanks, Ray."

* * *

"No! No! Piper! Dad! Mom! No, don't leave! Please! NO!"

Ray rolled out of bed and ran down the hall to Henry's room, where he found the boy sitting up in his bed and breathing heavily. He was covered in sweat and continuing to cry, even after the nightmare ended.

Ray sat beside Henry and wiped the boy's tears away, holding the boy close.

"It's okay. I'm here. You're safe," Ray murmured.

"Ray?" Henry whispered, his voice trembling. "Don't leave me."

"I won't. I promise, okay?" Ray said.

Henry calmed down after several long minutes, and Ray's heart broke with every sob Henry released, but all he could do was hold the boy. That was more than enough for Henry.

"You okay now?" Ray asked.

Henry nodded.

Ray nodded in return and went to stand, but Henry grabbed Ray's hand in desperation. Ray glanced back, and Henry blushed in embarrassment, letting go of Ray's hand.

"Sorry," Henry said.

"It's okay," Ray told him, sitting beside Henry on the bed. "I'll stay."

"Really?" Henry said. "You don't have to."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to," Ray said.

Henry nodded and curled up on the bed with Ray laying beside him, the man's strong arms wrapped around Henry in a comforting, protective embrace. A hug. Something Henry had craved since his mom left.

Henry was already drifting off, falling safe in Ray's arms.

"Go to sleep, Kid," Ray said. "You're safe with me."

"I love you, Dad," Henry whispered in his half asleep state.

"I love you, too," Ray said, his heart warming when Henry called him Dad, but Henry was already asleep. "I love you, too… son."

Calling Henry his son felt… right, somehow.

"Somehow, some time, it will all be okay," Ray murmured, wondering if Henry heard him in his sleep. "And I'll be right by your side until everything is okay again. Never forget that."

Ray could've sworn he saw Henry smile in his sleep.

"I love you," Ray repeated before falling asleep himself.

Henry didn't have any more nightmares for the rest of the night.

* * *

 _Probably the angstiest chapter so far, I know. I hope you enjoyed it._

 _Thank you all_ _for reading! See you next time! Goodbye, everyone!_


	5. Stronger Than A Good Old Fist Fight

_Hello, everyone! This is not based off of a specific episode, but it happens during season 2, almost a month after the events of the episode The Beat Goes On. Enjoy the chapter!_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **WARNINGS: SLIGHT VIOLENCE AND BRIEF MENTIONS OF BLOOD, BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC**

* * *

Perhaps splitting up hadn't been the best idea, but cut them some slack! With ten criminals running in every direction, five that needed to be arrested, and two bound innocent civilians that needed to be freed, splitting up seemed like the only option at the time.

Captain Man dashed through the forest, searching for his sidekick, who was only screaming louder with each passing second. The superhero burst into a clearing, and his eyes widened in horror.

"KID DANGER!" he screamed.

* * *

 _Earlier that night…_

Henry yawned as he walked into Junk 'N Stuff, only in his pajamas (considering it was well after midnight when Ray triple beeped him, waking him up), and he stumbled through the dark, crowded store until his exhausted eyes landed on the elevator. Henry wandered into the metal box and pressed the down button, waiting for the doors to close.

Henry woke up real quick when his stomach lurched, dropping to his feet as he fell, screaming, down a hundred foot elevator shaft. The elevator rumbled and screeched as it shot down the elevator shaft, and Henry wondered if this elevator even had cables or if he was just falling through thin air with nothing to stop him.

The elevator clanged loudly as it connected with the ground at the bottom of the elevator shaft, and the doors whistled open to reveal the Man Cave and a frantically pacing Ray.

"We have got to fix that elevator," Henry muttered as he strolled out of it and into the Man Cave. "Ray, what's going on?"

"The Bad Bandits have struck again," Ray replied. "Put a gumball in your mouth. Let's go."

The Bad Bandits, while not so cleverly named, were a dangerous and vaguely annoying group of criminals. Unlike most criminals in Swellview, they were smart. They never revealed who their leader was, and there were dozens of them, making it impossible to catch them all.

They had committed thirteen crimes in the past week, and out of the seventy-two criminals (and that was just the ones they'd seen. It was quite possible there were more), Ray and Henry had only captured fourteen of them and sent them to jail. It was becoming quite irritating that they were impossible to capture and incredibly persistent in their crime spree.

Henry and Ray stood side by side and chewed their blue and red (and slightly glowing) bubble gum before allowing air to whistle out of their lips, creating a bubble, and when the gum popped, a blinding green light flashed, and Henry and Ray were momentarily lost in the light as their transformations took place. The light faded, and Henry Hart and Ray Manchester were no longer standing there. Instead, Kid Danger and Captain Man had taken their place.

"Let's go fight some crime and make sure the criminals get-" Captain Man began.

"Double the time!" Kid Danger interrupted with a proud smile, happy with the cleverness of the rhyme.

"You let me finish the rhymes!" Captain Man ordered.

Kid Danger raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender or 'backing off.' "Sorry," he offered as his boss and him dashed up the few steps leading to the nearby platform, and Henry tapped his belt buckle, watching as the slim and familiar tube surrounded him with a soft whoosh of air. The tube beside him followed suit, encircling his boss, and Henry stared up into the tall passage rising so far above him, the exit disappeared somewhere in the darkness.

"Call it," Captain Man stated.

"Up the tube," Henry called, and they hurtled upward until they reached the garage (the tubes led out on many levels, including the garage, the storage levels, the roof, a back room in Junk 'N Stuff, and of course, the Man Cave).

Henry shook away the dizziness. He had yet to grow accustomed to the speeds the tube moved at, despite having the job as Captain Man's sidekick for almost an entire year now.

Kid Danger slid into the passenger's seat of the Man Van, shortly followed by Captain Man as he seated himself in the driver's seat and jammed the key in the ignition.

"Ray," Henry said after several minutes of driving (speed driving, actually) in silence. "Do you think we'll ever catch all of them? The Bad Bandits, I mean."

Captain Man shrugged. "I'm not going to lie to you, Kid. It's unlikely. But if we keep trying, maybe we'll capture their mysterious leader, even if by accident, and we'll take down the whole gang. Even if it seems hopeless, we're crime fighters. We do what's right, and right now-"

"Not giving up is what's right," Henry finished.

Captain Man nodded. "Exactly."

Ray parked the Man Van on the side of the street beside the jewelry store, which was currently being robbed, and after stuffing the keys into his pocket, the superhero and his sidekick leaped out of the vehicle and raced into the jewelry store without a moment of hesitation.

"Everybody, freeze!" Captain Man ordered, aiming a blaster at the nearest criminal.

There were about fifteen criminals in total, and they were all wearing the colors used to represent the Bad Bandits- black, orange, red, and green (usually shades characterized as either dark or neon with few shades in between). Ski masks or bandanas covered their faces to hide their features.

"Captain Man, Kid Danger!" a relieved woman shouted, struggling against her bonds. Her and another man were tied up beside the counter with their wrists and ankles bound tightly with a thick rope.

One of the criminals cursed. "Bolt!" he shouted, and criminals were running for the door. The superheroes managed to capture five of them, but the remaining ten sprinted out the door, and Captain Man groaned in frustration.

"Kid Danger, chase after them. I'll restrain these guys, free those two, and then, I'll come help! Go!"

Kid Danger didn't question the order as he dashed out the open door.

Ray didn't feel comfortable sending his fourteen year old sidekick to fight bad guys alone, but it was the most logical plan. While Ray was stronger and a better fighter, Henry was much faster than the older superhero and could usually hold his own in a fight, so he would have a better chance of catching the criminals.

Still, that didn't stop Ray from rushing to restrain the criminals he had on his hands and free the owners of the store, so he could go help his sidekick.

Meanwhile, Henry sprinted after the criminals. The ten Bandits had raced in different directions, but the majority of them went right, so that was the direction Henry chose to go in.

Henry stuttered to a halt in a clearing of the forest he'd followed the Bad Bandits into, wondering where the criminals had disappeared to. It wasn't a very thick forest, and they hadn't been too far ahead of him; he should still be able to hear them crashing through the underbrush, crunching leaves and fallen brushes and sticks under their feet. But no. It was completely silent. Henry began to believe he was all alone, and just when he was considering giving up and heading back to the jewelry store to help Captain Man, a voice sounded from behind him.

"I've got to hand it to you, Kid. You're pretty fast," the voice said, and Henry whipped around to see one of the Bad Bandits leaning against a nearby tree. "But the question is… are you a good fighter?"

Henry swallowed. "Yep. And unless you want a taste, I suggest you surrender," he said as confidently as he could, holding up his fist in a threatening motion.

"I didn't say you would be fighting _just_ me," the man pointed out, and Henry whipped around as several more people came out of the shadows, until the ten runaway Bandits, despite some of them having run in the opposite direction as Henry earlier, surrounded him.

Henry realized too late that this was an ambush.

"Get him!" the first one to speak (possibly the leader?) shouted, and Henry didn't have a single spark of hope as the Bad Bandits closed in on him.

* * *

Ray was restraining the last criminal and forcing him into the back of the Man Van, and as he shut the door, the owner of the store spoke up.

"Thank you, Captain Man," she said with a smile as she rubbed her wrists, which were victims of a painful rope burn. Other than the rope burn, though, she and her husband were both unharmed.

"We cannot be more grateful," her husband agreed.

"You're welcome," Captain Man responded, "but I'd better go find Kid Dan-"

As if on cue, a scream shattered the otherwise silent night, making the three of them jump- the owners of the store in surprise and the superhero in horror because he knew that scream. He hadn't heard it too often, thankfully, but he knew it. And it scared him.

"KID!" he yelled before crashing through the trees of the nearby forest, leaving the horrified store owners and the restrained criminals behind.

Captain Man dashed through the forest, searching for his sidekick, who was only screaming louder with each passing second. The superhero burst into a clearing, and his eyes widened in horror.

"KID DANGER!" he screamed.

Ten Bad Bandits are beating the teenager to a bloody pulp. Ray couldn't see his sidekick clearly, but the groans and yells of pain, coupled with the blood staining the grass, is enough to have him seeing red.

The Bad Bandits turned at the shout.

"Well, what do we have here?" one of them mocked. "Captain Ma-"

The guy didn't have time to finish because Ray's fist slammed into his nose without a single second of hesitation.

Within seconds, it was a full out brawl. One against ten. It seemed impossible.

And yet… Ray was winning.

Seeing Henry injured fueled him with adrenaline and strength he didn't even know was possible, and it had nine Bad Bandits bruises, bloody, and unconscious within minutes. Only one remained- the only one to speak, possibly the leader Ray and Henry had been searching for- and his shirt was clenched in Ray's fist as he raised his other fist to strike the man again.

"I knew you were a good fighter," the man spat. "No one told me you were _this_ good."

"Probably because most people don't know," Captain Man responded. "You made one fatal mistake."

The man smirked, despite the blood running down his chin and the bruises blossoming across his body. "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"No one harms my kid," Ray growled.

The man frowned. "I didn't know he was your kid."

Ray shrugged. "He isn't my son biologically or even legally, but in every other aspect, he _is_ my kid. And when someone harms someone else's kid, the parent of that child is the most dangerous person you will _ever_ meet."

Ray's fist slammed into the guy's face, not enough to cause permanent damage but enough to _really_ hurt, and Ray dropped the unconscious man before running over to Henry.

Henry was in bad shape, but it could've been worse. He had more bruises than Ray could count, a bloody nose, a split lip, and a possible concussion, but nothing looked broken. There didn't seem to be any internal bleeding or cracked ribs. Ray would have Shwoz check him out when they returned to the Man Cave just in case, but in that moment, Ray was just relieved that Henry was breathing.

"Ray," Henry coughed, weakly.

Ray smiled as he nodded. "Hey, kiddo. You're going to be okay. I'm going to pick you up, and it might hurt for a second, but I need to get you back to the Man Cave, okay?"

Henry nodded, and Ray lifted his child in all but blood off of the blood stained grass and began to carry him back towards the jewelry store.

The police had arrived, and the red and blue flashing lights made Ray flinch after so long in the darkness of the forest. Police officers glanced up at the approaching footsteps and their eyes widened upon seeing Kid Danger beaten and barely conscious in Captain Man's arms.

"Does he require medical attention?" the sheriff questioned.

Captain Man shook his head. "No. We have a doctor back at the Man Cave that can take care of him. Thank you, though."

"No," the sheriff disagreed with a grateful smile. "Thank _you_ for keeping our city and its innocent citizens safe."

"That reminds me," Captain Man said as he rested Kid Danger in the passengers seat of the Man Van, now empty after the criminals had been officially arrested by the police and herded into squad cars. "The rest of the criminals are unconscious in a clearing a little ways into the forest."

"I thought there were, like, ten of them," another officer stated, knitting his eyebrows.

Captain Man shrugged. "Let's just say… nobody touches my sidekick and gets away with it."

With that said, the superhero climbed into the drivers seat and drove towards the Man Cave.

"I'm proud of you, Kid," Ray whispered.

Henry frowned, peering at him with swollen black eyes. "I got my butt kicked. Why are you proud of me?"

"You know the dangers of this job," Ray said. "You got beaten tonight. You got blasted into a coma once. Charlotte attacked you when she was musically brain warped about a month ago. And yet… you haven't walked away."

Henry smiled, and even after the beating had weakened him immensely, his smile was still strong.

"Superheroes do the right thing," he replied. "And a lot of the time, the right thing-"

"Is not giving up, not backing down when the going gets tough," Ray finished, flashing back to their conversation earlier that night.

Henry's smile grew stronger. "Exactly."

* * *

 _I'd like to get your guys' opinion on something:_

 _I'm thinking about doing another story similar to A Parent's Love For Their Child, but instead of focusing on Ray and Henry's bond, it will focus on the sibling bond between Henry and Piper. Henry and Piper have a complicated relationship in the show, but it's obvious they care about each other deeply (as Henry exhibits in Balloons of Doom while trying to protect Piper from Dr. Maniac or in Meet Cute Crush, when Piper goes to Henry of all people, choosing to go to him instead of her female friends that actually have experience with boyfriends and Henry agrees to help). So I was thinking of doing a story about Henry and Piper bonding and protecting each other, kind of like a sibling version of A Parent's Love For Their Child._

 _Would anyone be interested in reading that? Please send me a PM or write a review telling me what you think of the idea._

 _Thank you all for reading! Goodbye, everyone!_


	6. Stronger Than Anger

_Another chapter (I have lots of ideas for this story, so it will be one of my main stories for the summer)._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

"How could you let this happen?" Ray demanded.

Henry groaned. "I'm sorry, Ray! How many times do I have to say it? Look, Jasper, Charlotte… they can keep my secret. But did you really think I wanted Piper, social media addict, to discover that I'm Kid Danger?"

Okay… maybe I should back up a bit.

* * *

 **Earlier That Night**

Henry yawned as he flipped up the top part of his watch after the beeping had jolted him out of his sleep.

"Ray, it is eleven o'clock at night. Why are you-"

"Henry, Dr. Maniac escaped from prison," Ray interrupted. "I don't know what he's up to, but Shwoz tracked him down to a weapons store."

"That can't be good," Henry realized.

Ray nodded. "Yep. Pop a gumball in your mouth and meet me on Wheaton Street."

Henry nodded. "'Kay. I can be there in five minutes."

Henry hung up and grabbed his bubble gum from behind the painting of the strange bug hanging on his wall before rolling out of bed and standing beside the ladder leading to the platform/second floor of his bedroom.

He began chewing a piece of gum, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, before allowing air to whoosh out from between his lips, causing the gum to expand into a colorful bubble.

The door burst open without any warning.

"Henry, where are my-"

Henry didn't have time to stop the bubble as it popped, and his sister squinted against the bright green light that surrounded her older brother as she shielded her eyes from the blinding light.

The light faded, and Henry didn't move a muscle as his sister removed her hand from over her eyes, and her jaw hit her chest.

"You're Kid Danger!" she screamed.

Worrying she might wake their parents, Henry slammed a finger on his watch, blasting his little sister; he lunged forward to catch her as she slumped forward, effectively zapped into unconsciousness.

Henry lowered his sister to the floor before opening the top part of his watch again as it began beeping once more.

"We lost a fix on Dr. Maniac's location," Ray muttered. "Instead of going to Wheaton, come to the Man Cave until Shwoz can locate Maniac again."

"Um, before that…" Henry said, weakly, "we have a situation."

Ray raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What kind of situation?"

"Just get here," Henry ordered before hanging up before Ray could press him any further.

He stared at his sister, unconscious on the floor of his bedroom, and he ran anxious fingers through his hair.

"Aw, geez," was all he could manage.

* * *

 **Back To The Present**

"I don't think you _wanted_ her to find out, but she did," Ray snapped. "As usual, _I'm_ cleaning up _your_ mess!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Henry asked, trying to appear angry rather than hurt.

"It means that in my entire career, which has been almost twenty years total, no one has ever found out that I'm Captain Man. The only person that ever knew was Shwoz and my dad, and my dad only knew because he helped me to become Captain Man in the first place! I never told my friends, my girlfriends, not even my mother or other relatives. And yet, in the three years you have been my sidekick, Jasper, Charlotte, and now your sister have discovered your secret."

"Ray, I really am sorry," Henry murmured as his boss refused to look at him.

"Sorry isn't good enough this time," Ray mumbled. "Maybe I should finally take your gum."

"You're firing me?" Henry demanded.

Ray shrugged. "I don't know yet, but I definitely should. You've put both of us in danger! If you can't even keep your secret, how can I expect you to help me keep the city safe? Why did I ever think hiring a kid was a good idea?"

Henry felt tears spring to his eyes, and he tried to fight them down, but they began streaming anyway.

"I could accept this kind of talk from my boss," Henry sniffled, feeling embarrassed and angry and hurt and scared that he was losing the best friend he'd ever had. "I could _understand_ it. But you're not just my boss, Ray. You're my friend. I thought you were like my father. But I guess I was wrong. Parents don't talk like this to their kids."

Ray looked up, and he called Henry's name, but it was too late. Henry had slipped out the window, climbed down the tree, and disappeared down the street before Ray could even look out the window.

Ray glanced at Piper and then at the door, which he noticed- for the first time- was open, and Charlotte and Jasper occupied the doorway.

"Ray," Charlotte began, horrified by what Ray had said to her best friend, but then, a surprising person spoke up.

"How could you say that to him?" Jasper demanded. Jasper never stood up to Captain Man; Captain Man was his idol. He wouldn't even dream of yelling at him, but that all changed when Ray said such horrible things to Henry. "Henry is the best sidekick you could ever ask for. He would do anything for you, even risk his life. And you're throwing away one of the best friendships you could ever have. Piper found out. So what? Wipe her memory! Or if you explained how telling anyone could put Henry in danger, I'm positive she would come through, if not for you or herself, for Henry. You practically chased Henry out of your life over a situation we could've solved, a situation that was unavoidable."

"He's not wrong," Charlotte agreed. "Piper was already suspicious. She was bound to find out, eventually, Ray. I guess it just happened more suddenly than we thought it would."

Ray sighed. "You guys are right. Let's take her back to the Man Cave and then, I'll go find Henry. Once I do, we'll decide how to handle this."

Ray couldn't deny the guilt forcing its way through his veins and into his mind, and he stared at the open window.

Had he really just said such horrible things to the child he had thought of as his son for years?

* * *

After Henry had stopped crying, the sadness faded, and determination set in.

He would prove to Ray that he was a good sidekick. He would prove to Ray that he could keep the city safe.

(He would prove to Ray that Henry deserved to be seen as the son Ray never had, but Henry would never admit that aloud.)

Henry clambered to his feet as the elevator doors slid open to reveal the Man Cave, and he strolled across the floor with purpose until he stood behind Shwoz.

"Do you have Maniac's location?" Henry asked.

Shwoz nodded. "Yep. That party supplies store on the corner of Ash Avenue and Drifter Lane. Where's Ray?"

"I'm going to meet him there," Henry said as he stood on the platform and tapped his belt buckle, watching as the tube surrounded him. "Thanks, Shwoz. Up the tube!"

And Henry was off, going to fight crime... all by himself.

* * *

"Watch her head, watch her head!" Jasper cried as Charlotte and him tried to carry Piper out of the elevator while Ray (dressed as Captain Man) stood beside them, not making any move to help.

"Shwoz!" Ray exclaimed.

Shwoz turned in his seat in surprise. "Ray? Aren't you supposed to be meeting Henry to fight Maniac?"

Ray frowned. "Um, no. I said some things to Henry that I didn't mean after his sister found out he was Kid Danger. He ran off. Have you seen him?"

Shwoz nodded, eyes widening as the horrible realization dawned on him. "Yes! I gave him Maniac's location, and he said he was going to meet you there to take down Maniac before he left."

"What?" Ray shouted.

The monitors began to blare as an emergency call appeared on the screen, and Shwoz, Charlotte, and Jasper (with an unconscious Piper) ducked behind the counter while Ray answered the call.

"Captain Man, what is your emergency?" he said.

"Actually, it's your emergency," Maniac replied, and Ray flashed back to the hostage situation with Jasper and that Man Fans a few months ago (this refers to the events in Balloons of Doom, in case you didn't know).

"Maniac," Captain Man growled.

"Don't be so hostile when I have the upper hand here," Maniac smirked.

"What do you mean?" Ray asked, although he had a terrible feeling that he knew what Maniac meant. He was just praying he was wrong.

"Take a look and see for yourself," Maniac said before changing the direction of the camera, and Ray's eyes widened as they landed on his sidekick tied to a chair and covered in bruises while two henchman stood over him like guard dogs.

"He- Kid Danger," Ray yelled. In his panic, he'd almost used Henry's real name, but luckily, he'd corrected himself at the last minute. "Let him go."

Maniac raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'll let him go."

Ray blinked in surprise. "Really? Thanks-"

" _If_."

Ah, he knew there was an _if_! There was always an _if_!

"If I get something in return," Maniac replied.

"What do you want?" Ray asked.

"You," Maniac responded. "I don't need both of you. I just need you. My henchman and I can commit every crime in the book, and Kid Danger can't stop all of us. After all, he's just a pathetic _kid_ , isn't he?" Maniac asked in a mocking tone, and Ray swallowed, realizing Maniac knew about his conversation with his sidekick. How, he didn't know, nor did he particularly care at the moment. All he wanted was his sidekick safe and sound at his side.

"I'll be there in ten minutes. If you harm a hair on his head between now and the time I get there, the deal's off," Captain Man snarled before hanging up.

"I have an idea."

Everyone jumped as they spun around to face Piper, who had woken up at some point during the conversation.

"When did you wake up?" Jasper demanded.

"Around the time Maniac turned to face the camera towards Henry. I'm not an idiot, Jasper. After I found out Henry was Kid Danger, I put it all together pretty quickly. But hurry, we don't have much time," Piper said before beginning to rattle off her idea.

* * *

"Maniac," Ray said, flatly, as he entered the party supplies store.

"Captain Man," Maniac mocked. "I knew you'd come for your beloved sidekick."

"Kid, are you okay?" Ray asked.

Henry nodded. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone to fight crime alone. You're right. I am just a kid."

Ray smiled, weakly, fighting back tears. "You are a kid, but you're so much more than that. You're brave. You're loyal. And most of all, while you may be a kid, you're _my_ kid. You're like the son I never had, and I wouldn't trade you for the world."

"Aw," Maniac drawled. "This is so very touching, but I'm afraid I'll have to cut the reunion short."

"Look, Maniac, I'm here. Let him go," Ray ordered.

Maniac pursed his lips, raising his eyebrows. "Not quite yet. There's one more thing I have to do, and then, your sidekick can be on his merry way."

He reached for Kid Danger's mask…

"Now!" Captain Man yelled.

Within a second, it was utter chaos. Piper and Charlotte- dressed in uniforms that were basically just female versions of Henry's- attacked Maniac, his henchmen, and Nurse Cohort, wailing viciously and swinging their fists (Ray had underestimated Piper and Charlotte. Piper was a better fighter than him, and Charlotte had turned utterly vicious the moment she saw her best friend in danger). Jasper- dressed in the red Broadway-themed uniform Henry had tried on all those years ago when he first got the job- rushed over to Henry and began tugging at the ropes binding him to the chair.

Five minutes hadn't passed before Maniac, his henchmen, and Nurse Cohort had been zapped into unconsciousness while a newly freed Henry stood beside his friends and sister.

"Kid, what I said, I didn't mean-" Ray began.

"I know," Henry assured him. "Ray, you're my best friend. You're more of a father to me than my actual dad is. It's going to take a lot more than some angry words you said in anger to chase me away."

Ray smiled. "You're right, kid, and it's going to take a lot more than your secret getting out to make me leave you. Even if the whole town know you were Kid Danger, I still wouldn't fire you."

Ray and Henry embraced each other before they exchanged glances with Charlotte and Jasper.

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Ray asked.

Jasper, Charlotte, and Henry nodded with smiles before they all turned to Piper, who had been standing awkwardly on the sidelines as the superhero and sidekick reunited while the other two members of their team watched in happiness.

"Piper Hart, you have proven yourself to be brave and loyal and intelligent and clever. You are just the kind of person we need," Captain Man announced.

Piper gaped. "Really?"

Captain Man nodded. "Raise your right hand. Place your left hand over your heart."

Piper did so.

"Repeat after me," Captain Man instructed. "I, Piper Hart, do swear to remain loyal to the Captain Man team-"

"I, Piper Hart, do swear to remain loyal to the Captain Man team," Piper reiterated.

"-and to never reveal-"

"Or post it on social media," Henry added

"-the identities of Captain Man, Kid Danger, or any other members of the team, including Charlotte Page, Jasper Dunlop, and Shwoz."

"-and to never reveal- or post it on social media- the identities of Captain Man, Kid Danger, or any other members of the team, including Charlotte Page, Jasper Dunlop, and Shwoz," Piper stated.

"It is done," Charlotte, Jasper, Henry, and Ray announced.

"Welcome to the team, sis," Henry said before turning back to Ray. "And thanks. For keeping me on the team."

Ray messed up Henry's hair affectionately.

Henry pushed his hand away. "Not the hair."

Ray smiled before suddenly dragging Henry into a headlock and rubbing his knuckles in Henry's hair.

"Ray!" Henry groaned while Ray laughed.

Piper turned to Charlotte and Jasper.

"Do they always act like this?" she asked.

Charlotte nodded. "Yep."

"You'll get used to it," Jasper assured her. "They're like father and son. They have a stronger bond with each other than with anyone else."

Piper nodded in understanding before joining in the laughter as Ray continued to mess up Henry's hair.

* * *

 _Since Henry had to take an oath, I figured Ray would make any other members of the team (by team, I mean his coworkers, including Charlotte, Shwoz, Jasper, and earlier on, Gooch) take one as well, so I made one up._

 _Thanks for reading! Goodbye, everyone!_


	7. Stronger Than Arguments

_This was a request from SmolPotatoFry, and this chapter does not take place in a specific episode, but it takes place during the first season._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

"Come on, Henry!" Ray said, sternly. "Stay on your feet."

"I'm trying," Henry replied through gritted teeth. Whether he was gritting his teeth from the strength sapping amount of effort he was putting in or from frustration, he didn't know, and he didn't have the energy to think about it any further.

Ray and Henry were engaged in a grueling combat training session. Having only been Ray's sidekick for a few months, Henry had yet to become better at fighting and hand to hand combat, and since the job was becoming more and more dangerous, Henry needed to learn how to fight as good as Ray as soon as possible. That meant incredibly difficult combat training sessions and long hours of learning which weapon did what and which fighting moves were best for what situation.

Henry elbowed Ray in the ribs, allowing Henry to break free from Ray's hold on him, but Ray recovered quickly and grabbed Henry's arm, kicking his legs out from under him and pinning the smaller boy to the floor.

"Henry, you have a powerful punch, but you leave too many openings," Ray scolded. "Bad guys will see those openings and attack you. If you keep going on like this, you won't stand a chance. Let's go again."

Henry sighed before getting into a fighting stance, watching as Ray did the same across from him.

"Begin," Ray ordered before Henry lunged, kneeing Ray in the stomach and sending a fist towards Ray's face, but Ray caught Henry's fist and twisted his arm behind his back. Henry stepped on Ray's foot and spun around on the tips of his toes, using the momentum to send a powerful kick to Ray's knee. Ray, thrown off balance, toppled, but he grabbed Henry's shoulder and dragged the boy to the floor with him, pinning him easily.

"Henry, you need to get better," Ray muttered as they climbed to their feet.

Henry sat down on a nearby box and sighed. "I know that, Ray. It's our third training session. Fighting is a second nature to you, but it isn't to me. You know that my strong suit is speed, not strength, so I will learn how to fight, but I won't pick it up as fast as you did when you started fighting. Why can't you accept that?"

"Because Henry, you can't even win a fight when I'm not even trying," Ray snapped. "I'm a great fighter. I know. But during some of these fights, I don't even try, and you still can't beat me. Are you really sidekick material?"

"Yes," Henry replied, standing up. "I'm trying, Ray. I really am."

"Well, it doesn't look like it," Ray said. "Let's go again."

Henry and Ray stood across from each other, and as soon as Ray shouted the word begin, Henry sent a kick to Ray's stomach, but Ray grabbed his leg and pulled him forward, capturing Henry in ten seconds flat.

"For goodness sake, Henry!" Ray shouted, and before he could stop himself, his palm connected with Henry's cheek so hard, Henry fell to the ground.

Henry and Ray stared at each other, neither of them daring to move as Henry flinched at the burning sensation in his cheek.

"Henry," Ray whispered, simultaneously horrified with himself for slapping Henry and frustrated with Henry for not being as strong or as good of a fighter as Ray.

Henry shot to his feet and was out of the room before Ray could move to apologize, to explain himself, to help Henry up, to do something.

Ray, unsure of what to do, sat on a nearby box and tried not to cry, ashamed of himself for losing his temper.

* * *

Charlotte glanced up as a red and blue blur shot past her, and she turned in her chair as Henry sprinted up the steps to the Tube Platform. When Henry turned, she spotted the red mark on his face and the tears in his eyes, but before she could ask him why he was crying, Henry tapped his belt buckle.

"Down the tube," he shouted before he fell down the cylinder and vanished from sight.

Charlotte frowned as she ran up to the tube beside the one Henry had used and hit the button on the remote in her hand, watching as the tube descended from above to surround her.

"Down the tube," she called before inhaling sharply as she was sent hurtling downward.

Charlotte landed on the platform and found herself in a storage room. The tube ascended to release her, and she descended the steps to find Henry, having changed out of his Kid Danger uniform, sitting on a box and wiping tears from his eyes.

"Henry, what's wrong?" Charlotte asked.

Henry sniffled and rattled off an explanation of what occurred during the training session with Ray.

It was silent for several minutes before Henry managed to glance up from the floor and look at Charlotte.

She was wearing an expression of anger, but it was more dangerous than that because this wasn't just any kind of anger. It was the anger you feel when you need to protect someone, when someone has hurt someone you love. And Henry had seen the expression on Charlotte's face before, but it had never been as frightening as it was now.

Charlotte stood and headed for the platform.

"What are you going to do?" Henry questioned as she stood under the tube.

"Just stay here," Charlotte ordered before pressing the button on her remote. "Up the tube!"

Henry watched as she vanished from sight, and he knew she was going to give Ray a real tongue lashing. That was kind of embarrassing to the sidekick, having her fight his battles for him, but he still appreciated the fact that she was willing to stand up for him, so he didn't try to stop her.

* * *

"Raymond Michael Manchester!" Charlotte screamed, making Ray jump.

"First of all, Michael is not my middle name. Second of all, what's got your panties in a bunch?" Ray questioned.

"I'm mad because you slapped Henry!" Charlotte replied. "How could you do that to him?"

"I didn't mean to. I was just frustrated because he wasn't getting it," Ray muttered.

"Well, not everyone is a great fighter like you, Ray. If you were training me, would _I_ have gotten slapped if I wasn't getting it?"

Ray sighed. "Probably not."

"Yeah, because you know I'm not a great fighter like you. Henry isn't going to learn everything you've learned in twenty years in three training sessions. Rome wasn't built in a day. Henry needs you to be patient. Pushing him too hard will only make it worse. Now, you need to apologize."

"But-"

"Ray," Charlotte said, sternly.

Ray sighed. "Okay. Where is he?"

"The storage room."

* * *

Ray watched as the tube raised, and he stepped off of the platform and into the storage room.

"Henry?" he called, softly.

"What do you want?" Henry murmured as Ray rounded some boxes and found Henry sitting there, just out of sight. Ray sat beside him, leaning against the boxes.

"I came here to apologize. You're just a kid that's never fought a day in his life, and I've been fighting for almost twenty years. I should've been more patient."

"Why are you so stressed about me learning how to fight so quickly?" Henry asked.

"Henry, you're a kid. You're my sidekick, my friend. You're like my little brother, maybe even like my son, and this job is getting more and more dangerous with each crime we have to fight. As much as I want to, I can't be by your side during every job, and that worries me. I want you to be able to hold your own because I don't want you to get hurt."

Henry smiled. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Ray shrugged. "Keeping this secret… it's isolating sometimes. Shwoz and my father were the only ones that knew about me being Captain Man. That many years of being so isolated because of this secret… it kind of ruins your ability to talk to people about emotions and.. mushy stuff."

Henry laughed. "What do you say we get back to training?"

"Actually, we've been training for three hours, and I think you've deserved a break," Ray said. "Ice cream?"

"Ice cream," Henry agreed.

* * *

 _I love feedback (but keep it kind or constructive criticism because any flames will be ignored and reported if necessary), so please tell me what you thought in the form of a review or a PM!_

 _Thanks for reading!_


	8. Stronger Than Bad Guys

_This is a 'thought' chapter. That basically means that it focuses on Ray's thoughts during a specific scene or episode, particularly when Henry is in danger._

 _POV: FIRST_

 _EPISODE: DANGER AND THUNDER_

 _-Scene: Henry and Phoebe are fighting the bad guys on top of the train._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

"Kid Danger!" I yelled in relief as my sidekick and Phoebe climbed to their feet, and I hoped they could maintain their balance on the moving train.

"It's the stupid kid," Toddler growled.

"Yeah!" Kid yelled before frowning. "Wait… I'm not stupid, but I am here!"

If the situation wasn't so serious, I would've laughed; it was only funny to see Kid's short attention span in action. Henry was far from stupid, but he could be very slow at times; still, I didn't mind. It was actually quite hilarious.

"Get 'em!" Toddler ordered, and Maniac, Vandal, and the handful of other criminals on top of the train attacked. Phoebe tried to use her freeze breath, but due to the strong winds, her powers didn't reach the criminals and instead, sent a block of ice hurtling over Henry and Phoebe's heads. With few options remaining, my sidekick and Phoebe lunged forward and attacked the criminals.

Toddler pulled a whistle out of his pocket and blew into it; it was one of those toys that you pull a lever down and it makes this annoying low pitched sound, like a cross between a high pitched whistle and the sound a (badly played) saxophone makes.

"Security!" he shouted.

At first, I wasn't sure why he was yelling for back up when we were on top of a train, but then, several bad guys climbed on top of the train. Some of them I recognized as petty thieves that looked intimidating but couldn't win a fight to save their lives. Others, I knew to be violent criminals; some were even good fighters. The violent ones immediately made me nervous because these were the criminals I wouldn't let Henry fight; I never told Henry about the calls I never made to him because I knew Henry would feel like I thought he was weak. But I don't. Henry is one of the strongest people I know, but I also know that these criminals could snap him in half like a twig, and I wasn't about to let that happen.

The criminals immediately attacked. Two of them grabbed Phoebe, holding her as she flailed in their grasp and struggled to escape; as a tall sixteen year old girl, she proved to be a hard person to capture and hold still. Kid was a good fighter, but he was also small, and the other two criminals restrained him with no problems.

Seeing that scrawny boy held in the arms of two violent and burly criminals reminded me of just how young and vulnerable Henry was. He tried to act tough, but he was like a little kitten in a dog pound. He was like a little baby, and I'd pushed him into a world of crime fighting and battling criminals. It was a wonder he hadn't gotten hurt during the year he'd been Kid Danger!

What had I been thinking… putting that sweet kid in danger like that?

One of the guys grabbed Henry and started twisting his arm, occasionally biting it for some weird reason, and when Henry started to struggle against their grips, one of them punched him. Henry couched as he kneeled over, the blow to the stomach distracting him enough for the two guys to toss him to the ground like garbage. Phoebe soon joined him.

"Don't hurt him!" I begged, but before I could continue, a jaw rattling boom and a blinding pain silenced me. When the smoke cleared and the ashes were blinked from my eyes, I was hanging from the side of the train. I dragged myself back up after the pain had faded.

I could see tears in Henry's eyes; he probably thought I was dead…

His eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Captain Man!"

"News flash, kid, Captain Man is gone, so there's no way he can help you-"

I tapped Toddler on the shoulder, and he turned, his cruel eyes immediately widening.

I picked him up the straps of his overalls and hissed, so quietly not even Henry or Phoebe heard me. This was between the Toddler and me.

"Provided we find ourselves fighting again… next time, don't mess with my kid, and I won't hurt you. But this time, you and your goons did hurt my kid, so all bets are off."

With that, I tossed Toddler off of the train, and the fight against Maniac, Vandal, and the other goons began.

* * *

After the fight had ended, an exhausted Henry leaned against me in the helicopter, fast asleep. I could vaguely hear Max screaming as he dangled by a rope far below the helicopter, but all I was focused on was Henry.

Earlier, I had been completely prepared to fire Henry. Not because he was bad at what he did, but because the job was dangerous, and I didn't want Henry getting hurt. But… I decided against firing him. Henry was strong; he could handle whatever problem the world threw at him, and if he couldn't, I would be there to make sure he got through it. If I wanted anyone in this entire world by my side, I would choose Henry in a heartbeat.

"So…" Phoebe said. "I'm confused. You never told anyone if he was, but it kinds of seems like he's your kid. Is he your son?"

I thought about it. I could've told her no, but that would've been a lie. I could've told her the longer version about him not being my biological son, but still being my son in every other aspect. Finally, I simply settled on this:

"Yeah," I responded. "You could say that."

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! Goodbye, everyone!_


	9. Stronger Than Broken Hearts

_I know it's been a little while since I last updated, but I've returned!_

 _Also, I will **eventually** be doing a chapter on Saturday Night Lies, but I'm not sure when._

 _EPISODE: LOVE MUFFIN_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

 ** _WARNINGS: BOYXBOY RELATIONSHIPS (but not between Henry and Ray. It's between Henry and another boy)_**

* * *

Henry picked up the abandoned box of Gwen's muffins after she had vanished up the tube, but as he was about to throw them away (scratch that- stomp on them, kick the crumbs a few times, vacuum them up, and dump the remains of the muffins in the nearest fire), he noticed a strange label on the side of the box.

It was the recipe.

There were a bunch of names Henry didn't recognize, and he assumed they were the names of chemicals or magical potions (Henry wouldn't be surprised if he discovered that on top of being a criminal, Gwen was a witch), and there were also foods and ingredients Henry did recognize. Bananas, nuts, flour, etc.

But what really stuck out to Henry was the note typed in all capitals at the bottom of the label.

NOTE: THE PERSON WHO EATS THE MUFFIN MUST ALREADY BE PHYSICALLY ATTRACTED TO THE OTHER PERSON FOR THE MUFFINS TO HAVE AN EFFECT.

Henry stared, stunned, at the label before his eyes darted up to look at Jasper, who was having a conversation with Charlotte.

But Henry had never thought about his best friend that way, but he supposed that Jasper wasn't bad looking and he was sweet, and if Henry was going to find a perfect boyfriend, Jasper was probably as close to perfect as he could get. He was the best friend Henry had ever had.

Henry didn't even know he was gay! Or I guess since he was also attracted to girls, that would make him bisexual. But the question was… was Jasper gay or straight or bi or something else entirely? It all boiled down to whether Jasper would like Henry back.

Henry thought back on Jasper's past relationships. There weren't many relationships in Jasper's past, but there were enough for Henry to know that they were all with girls.

Meaning… Jasper was likely straight and would never like Henry as more than a friend.

Henry ripped the label off and stuffed it into his pocket before dumped the muffins unceremoniously into the garbage.

* * *

"Hey, Henry, have you finished cleaning the weapons room yet? I still can't find my blaster," Ray stated as he walked into the Man Cave.

Henry was sitting on the couch, mulling over the situation with Gwen's muffins and Jasper and Henry's newly discovered sexuality. He still couldn't believe that he was bisexual, nor could he believe he was attracted to his straight best friend, but he supposed it explained a lot. He vaguely remembered giving a boy a valentine in Kindergarten while his other male classmates handed Valentines out to girls they had crushes on. He remembered choking on his own words when he saw this really cute guy at the mall, just like he stumbled over his words while talking to a pretty girl. He remembered meeting Jasper for the first time and thinking about how much he wanted to run his fingers through his hair. He remembered him and Jasper fake wrestling and how he wound up on time of Jasper; while Jasper laughed, Henry blushed the color of a strawberry because this position didn't feel entirely… bad.

It was all there. Henry just hadn't noticed until he put it all together.

Henry had never experienced a true broken heart before. His heart had been stomped on at times, but a broken heart was so much worse. Jasper was straight and would never like him back; Jasper wasn't one of Henry's many female crushes. This was something more, and Henry could almost heat his heart crack every time he thought about his feelings for Jasper and knowing (more accurately, fearing) they would never be returned

"Henry, you haven't even got up yet!" Ray shouted. "I told you to clean that room two hours ago."

Henry blinked. Had he really been sitting on the couch thinking for two hours? I suppose he did have a lot to think about, but two hours? It felt more like ten minutes.

"Oh," Henry said as he stood. "Sorry, Ray, lost track of time."

Ray frowned as his sidekick rubbed his eyes, and he noticed the dark circles beneath Henry's blue eyes. He looked pale, and it was obvious he hadn't gotten very much sleep last night. He seemed to be lost in thought, and for Henry to not realize that two hours had passed while he was sitting on the couch… there would be have to be a lot on your mind if the passage of time completely and utterly slips away like that.

"Hey," Ray said, grabbing Henry's arm and turning him around as he headed towards the weapons room to start cleaning. "What's going on?"

Henry shrugged. "Nothing."

"Henry, you can tell me anything," Ray pointed out.

Henry seemed to chew on that for a moment before swallowing it and opening his mouth to speak.

"How do you feel about boys liking boys?" Henry asked. "Like… _really_ liking other boys."

Ray was surprised by the question. Whatever he'd been expecting, it hadn't been that.

"I think love is love. There's nothing to be ashamed of loving someone of the same gender," Ray answered. "Why?"

Henry fished the label he'd ripped off of Gwen's box of mystical muffins out of his pocket and handed it to Ray, who read through the recipe before finally coming across the note typed at the bottom.

"I don't understand. What does this have to do with…" Ray trailed off as the truth smacked him in the face like a bunch of bricks (and considering Ray had been smacked in the face with a bunch of bricks, he knew what it felt like. This was a lot less painful but left him just as stunned and stupefied). "Jasper."

Henry nodded. "After I found that label, I didn't want to believe it at first. I've gone on dates with countless girls; there was no way I could be gay. Gwen had to be wrong.

"But then… I started thinking. I thought about Kindergarten when I gave another boy a Valentine because I thought he was cute and he was nice enough to share his crayons with me. I thought about when I met a really cute guy and couldn't even speak because he was so hot, just like I choked on my words when I talked to pretty girls. I thought about Jasper and realized that on several occasions, I had thought Jasper was cute or wondered why he didn't have a girlfriend because he might be awkward, but he was still sweet and kind. It was all there. I was bisexual and had a crush on my best friend all along, and I just didn't realize it until I put it all together."

Neither of them spoke for a long time until Ray finally took a deep breath.

"Henry, I know this is a shock, but have you talked to Jasper about this yet?" Ray questioned.

Henry shrugged. "What's the point? I've never even seen Jasper look at a boy like that, much less look a me like that. He's only dated girls. He's straight."

"You've only dated girls," Ray pointed out. "And last time I checked, Jasper has only had two or three girlfriends. Maybe he's bisexual or a closet case or still trying to figure everything out. Sexuality is a complicated thing, at least when you're young and still trying to find out who you are. It's not something you can figure out over night, and you and Jasper are only fourteen. You're still young and are trying to figure it all out.

"What I'm trying to say is… you'll never know unless you try. You do risk Jasper not liking you that way, but Jasper is your best friend. You've been through so much together. I don't think he would just walk away because of something like this, so if you're worried about losing him as a friend, don't be."

Henry was silent for a moment before he laughed. "Ray Manchester, when did you become wise?"

Ray shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a multi-talented guy. Handsome and smart!"

Henry chuckled. "Thanks, Ray."

Ray nodded. "I'm always here for you, Henry. Don't be afraid to talk to me when you need to," he advised before disappearing up the stairs.

Henry sighed. It was about time he had a talk with Jasper.

* * *

"So… anyone who eats Gwen's muffins need to be physically attracted to the other person for her muffins to have an effect," Jasper stated.

Henry nodded.

"But if the muffins worked and made you fall in love with me, that means…" Jasper trailed off. "Wait. You like me... like that?"

Henry nodded. "You deserved to know, and I totally understand if you don't feel the same way, and-"

"Henry Hart," Jasper interrupted. "You do not know how long I've been waiting for you to say that."

Jasper leaned forward and captured Henry's lips in a kiss, and Henry was shocked. Ever since discovering the label, he'd been wondering what it would be like to kiss his best friend, but he never imagined it would be this great. This kiss was everything he thought it would be and more.

Neither of the boys noticed Ray Manchester walk into Junk 'N Stuff, only for his eyes to land on the two boys kissing. Ray smiled before slowly and silently backing out of the room.

* * *

 _The broken heart in the chapter title refers to how Henry felt when he thought Jasper would never like him._

 _Also, in case it wasn't clear, this story is a collection of one shots and are rarely connected. Therefore, Jasper and Henry will not be dating in the next chapter because it's a completely different universe._

 _I'm not big on 'shipping' in this fandom, but I saw another fanfiction with the idea of having to be physically attracted to the other person for Gwen's muffins to have an effect (I can't remember who wrote it, though), so I decided to give it a try. Hope you guys liked this chapter!_

 _Thanks for reading! Goodbye, everyone!_


	10. Stronger Than Cannon Balls

_Hello, everyone! Not my best chapter, but that's mostly because I very rarely write in first person POV and am still experimenting with this POV._

 _EPISODE: INDESTRUCTIBLE HENRY_

 _-Scene: Henry gets hit by the cannon ball_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Henry Danger in any way, shape, or form._**

* * *

"What does this thing do?" Charlotte questioned as she held up a frayed, heavy rope hanging off of the cannon.

"I don't know," I responded before yanking on it. With a jaw rattling boom, a cannon ball shot out of the weapon at top speed, and smoke billowed out of the cannon, filling the entire store, as I leaned over Charlotte, protecting her small frame with my indestructible body.

For several seconds after the boom, neither I, nor Charlotte, moved, too stunned to even breathe as black and grey smoke threatened to suffocate us.

When the smoke cleared, I glanced up, uncurling his body and freeing Charlotte from the protective shield I had served as, and my eyes landed on my lanky sidekick, crumpled on the floor beside the glass door of Junk 'N Stuff.

"Henry," I whispered before raising my voice as the reality of the situation sunk in. "Henry!"

I sprinted over to kneel beside my sidekick, my mind running a hundred miles an hour.

 _Henry's dead. Henry's gone. It's my fault. I pulled the cord. My fault, my fault, my fault, my fault!_

None of my thoughts made any sense. My thoughts were fractured, incomplete, broken and strung together like a poorly done macaroni necklace four year olds made at summer camp. I was too frazzled to even realize how strange and yet very true that comparison was as I leaned over Henry, burying my head in Henry's stomach with the cannon ball clenched in my fist.

 _It's all my fault. Henry's dead, and it's all my fault._

My vision tunneled until all I could see was Henry, his lifeless form sprawled across the floor with soot staining his clothes and smoky debris painting his skin.

What would I do without Henry? He was like my baby brother, my son, my best friend in the entire world. I had never felt this much gut wrenching pain, not even when my father died a few years ago. It felt like something was eating away at my insides, and I feared it would continue gnawing at my heart and my brain and my stomach and… everything until there was nothing left.

"You stupid cannon ball!" I wailed, staring at the inanimate object in my hand. I knew the cannon ball couldn't feel pain, but I needed to blame something for Henry's death, even though deep down, I knew it was all my fault. "You killed my friend!"

I threw the cannon ball behind me, and I was too distraught to hear the shattering of glass or Charlotte's yelp as it smashed the lamp less than a foot away from her.

I sobbed as I laid my head on Henry's stomach once again, and I found myself desperately wishing I could rewind time and be the friend I should've been, be a father to the almost fatherless boy I had as a sidekick (sure, his biological dad was still alive and around, but he neglected and ignored Henry so often, I wouldn't call him my sidekick's dad in a million years. There's a huge difference between sharing DNA and being a father). I would've hugged him more, talked to him more, yelled at him less. I would've protected him. I would've loved him and wouldn't have been afraid to show the love I felt for my sidekick.

I loved Henry. He was my sidekick, my friend, the son I had never had… and now he was gone because of my stupid mistake.

"Wow."

My head jolted up at Henry's voice, and my shocked eyes landed on Henry, who was now sitting up with his eyes open, not even appearing to be injured.

"How are you talking?" I demanded, standing up. "And… living?"

"Because I'm fine," Henry replied.

"How are you fine?" I shouted. "You just took a cannon ball to the gut at point blank range. You couldn't be fine… unless… Henry, did you…."

His silence was basically his answer as I snatched up a drill and powered it on, touching it to Henry's stomach. For a normal person, the drill would've caused a pretty deep cut and a lot of pain, but for Henry, it didn't even break the skin.

"Ow," he stated, but he didn't make any more sounds of pain as the agony faded after a handful seconds… just like it always did for me.

I knew I should've been angry that Henry (and presumably Charlotte and Shwoz) went behind my back and densitized (I wasn't sure how to spell that) himself after I specifically told him not to, but right now, I was just glad Henry was okay.

I yanked Henry into a hug, relieved my friend was okay, as I breathed in the smoky scent lingering on Henry's skin and hair, and I vowed to be a much better father figure to this boy.

I knew Henry could get hurt. Heck, I knew Henry could die on the job. Henry knew it, too. But I didn't really allow that truth to sink in until it almost happened.

I wasn't about to let Henry down again as I held him in my arms, and I could feel the confusion radiating off of Henry as the hug continued for way longer than our usual embraces did, but I didn't care.

I was just glad my sidekick, the boy I saw as a son, was okay.

* * *

 _Please leave a review! Thank you for reading, and I hope you all have a great day! Goodbye, everyone!_


	11. Stronger Than Capture

_This chapter is dedicated to the flying aceling. They are a big fan of this story and have helped me with it more than once, so they deserve a shout out and a big thank you from me. Without your help, this story wouldn't be possible, so I cannot thank you enough!_

 _I am sorry for leaving this story for so long, and I will try to post more chapters this week._

 _EPISODE: Toddler Invasion (a highly requested episode, I might add)_

 _WARNINGS: KIDNAPPING, NON-CONSENTUAL DRUG USE, AND **VERY MINOR** VIOLENCE_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Henry Danger or any of the characters or anything that you recognize._**

* * *

"Seriously, Ray, you just had to make me come back for your blaster! It was your blaster; why didn't you come get it? And how could you forget your weapon, anyway? Last week, he forgot his pants and now his weapon… what's next? His entire outfit?" Henry ranted to himself as he marched into the Man Cave.

Ray had forgotten his weapon… again. He seemed to forget something every time there was a crime. Last week, he forgot his pants. Yes. His pants. He didn't even notice until Henry pointed it out, and since Charlotte and Jasper weren't working at the moment and Shwoz was shopping for some tools at the hardware store, no one could bring it to them, and Ray refused to leave his sixteen years old sidekick alone while said sidekick was spying on potentially (more like definitely) dangerous criminals, so he sent Henry to return to the Man Cave for his weapon while he continued trailing the criminals.

Henry stormed across the room to grab the blaster, walking past a gigantic gift basket; Henry didn't pause at the sight of the woven basket or the ginormous teddy bear or the candy and other treats the gift basket held. Gift baskets were common, coming from grateful people they had rescued or their families or just adoring fans of Captain Man and Kid Danger; a gift basket, even a huge one, wasn't exactly out of the ordinary in the Man Cave. He continued on his way until he came to the console, and he rummaged through the drawer where Ray always kept at least one weapon, and as his hand wrapped around the handle of the weapon, something whizzed past his ear and embedded itself in the wall inches from Henry's head.

"What the-" Henry muttered, but he was interrupted by purple gas suddenly curling out of the end of the dart that had stuck itself in the wall.

Henry didn't intend to breathe the strange substance in, but his mouth opened in a gasp as the surprise of the dart's sudden appearance and the strange gas that now rolled in front of his face. The gas was sucked into his lungs through his open mouth and his nostrils, which detected the scent of lavender and honey and other relaxing smells that made Henry so… so tired.

Henry blinked, yawning, as he felt his knees tremble and weaken, crumbling as they were unable to hold his body weight for another second. His knees hit the floor with a dull thud, and he slumped forward onto the console. His head rested in the crook of his elbow as his arms barely managed to support him and keep him from collapsing fully to the floor of the Man Cave. He could feel his eyelids drifting closed, and he fought to keep them open, a fear burning in his heart that if he fell asleep, he may never wake up.

"Well, well, well!" a nasally voice shouted, extravagantly.

Henry would know that annoying drawl anywhere, even on the brink of unconsciousness.

The Toddler.

Henry's eyelids fell shut, despite his attempts to keep them open.

* * *

When Henry came to, he was distantly aware of an exhaustion set deep in his bones, and he barely managed to pry his eyes open, reaching to grasp his aching head.

"Ray!" he groaned. "Charlotte… Jasper! Ray!" he repeated. He wanted his parents, his sister, his best friends, but he found himself wanting Ray most of all.

"Quiet, kid," the all too familiar nasally voice of the Toddler wormed its way into his brain, and Henry rolled his head to the side to find the man child staring down at him.

Henry, despite his desire to fall back into slumber, forced himself to look around, and he found himself in a room similar to the Toddler's original playroom, the one where Henry had officially become Kid Danger what felt like a life time ago. The only difference was the room was much bigger with more toys, and Henry was lying on some kind of cot, his head supported by pillows decorated with stars and crescent moons and a baby blue blanket pulled over him.

If Henry didn't know any better, he'd say the Toddler was taking care of him, but considering said man child was a villain and had kidnapped him… a pillow and a blanket weren't going to make up for that.

"What do you want?" Henry rasped, his throat painfully dry.

"Don't worry, Kid Danger. Your big brother will be here soon to save you," the Toddler mocked. "In fact, you'll get to see him here in a few minutes… if you're still awake. But before we can call Captain Man, we need to show him I mean business."

Henry didn't like the sound of that, and he was right to be afraid as the Toddler rammed his hairy knuckles into Henry's face before slamming the same side of his face against the wall as hard as he could. Henry cried out as a dizziness overtook him, and he felt a bruise developing on the left side of his face, and his disoriented mind vaguely wondered how he was going to explain that to his parents before the dizziness intensified and an awful nausea rolled in his stomach.

The Toddler walked away, but he returned only a few seconds later, and Henry forced his eyes to focus on the sippy cup in the Toddler's hand.

"Drink," the Toddler ordered, and Henry shook his head, clamping his lips shut. He didn't know what was in the cup; the Toddler wouldn't kill him. Henry was still dizzy and in pain, but he had gathered that the Toddler needed him to act as bait for Captain Man. But that didn't mean the drink wasn't drugged; the Toddler had already drugged him once.

The Toddler banged Henry's head against the wall once more, and this time, Henry felt a slow trickle of blood stream down from just beyond his hairline until it streaked down in an uncomfortably warm river to stop millimeters above his chin. Henry gasped, and the Toddler forced the sippy cup into Henry's mouth, only for the stubborn teenager to spit out the liquid before he could even taste it.

The Toddler sighed, and he leaned forward to pinch Henry's nose with one hand and cover Henry's mouth with the other hand. Henry's eyes widened, and he began to struggle, but the Toddler was stronger than he looked. Henry held out for as long as he could, but at some point, his aching lungs, which burned from lack of air, grew increasingly desperate, and he knew if he didn't get a breath soon, he'd find himself back in unconsciousness.

"Are you going to be a good little boy now?" The Toddler questioned.

Henry needed to survive until Ray got here… which meant complying.

Henry nodded.

"Good. I wouldn't want to have to punish you."

Henry wanted to be snarky and say "What are you going to do? Spank me?" but he resisted the urge to do so. He needed to survive, and he already had a head injury. He knew the Toddler could do a lot worse if Henry just gave him a reason. Henry needed to survive.

The Toddler held up the sippy cup. "You can drink it willingly or I can force it down your throat. Your choice."

Henry had already been deprived of oxygen once; he didn't want to choke on a drink, too.

Henry snatched the cup from the Toddler and took a sip… apple juice. He should've known; that was the Toddler's number one drink. Henry continued sipping at the liquid while the Toddler set up some kind of monitor while keeping a sharp eye on Henry; Henry would surely be caught if he tried to pour the drink out or hide it in any way.

Henry felt himself grow even more exhausted and knew he'd been drugged; he wanted to ask the Toddler what drug could work that fast and this effectively, but he was too tired to even open his mouth. He felt paralyzed with exhaustion; the only thing that moved were his eyes, which darted back and forth in a half asleep stupor, and his eyelids, which fluttered weakly.

A soft click sounded as something came up on the monitor. Henry didn't think much of it at first until the Toddler said something that made Henry force himself to roll his head to the side and glance at the monitors:

"Hello, Captain Man," the Toddler sneered.

* * *

"Dang it, kid, what's taking you so long? I'm lucky I had _your_ blaster, or I would've been toast," Ray yelled as he walked into the Man Cave, only to stop in his tracks when he found the room empty.

Captain Man frowned as he crossed the room, and he found a drawer open with his blaster inside. Okay… so Henry had been here, but where was he now?

Captain Man grabbed his blaster and glanced up, his frown deepening when he found a strange dart sticking out of the wall. It looked almost like a pen with a needle attached, and the end of it was open.

"What on earth?" Ray muttered as he plucked the dart from the wall.

A soft click sounded as the monitors came to life, and Ray's eyes found the screen, which instantly filled with a live video of the Toddler.

"Hello, Captain Man," the Toddler sneered.

"Toddler," Ray spat.

"Let me guess," the Toddler mocked. "Looking for your sidekick?"

Ray's eyes widened. "What did you do to him?" he demanded in a voice as cold as ice. If his tone unnerved the Toddler, the man child didn't show it.

"Oh, he's right here," the Toddler responded, turning the camera to face a small cot where Ray's sidekick lay, a bruise quickly developing on one side of his face, a cut trailing sticky blood down the same cheek with the developing bruise.

Ray cursed. "You better not hurt He- my sidekick more than you already have, or I swear I'll lock you away in a prison so cold and horrible, it'll make Alcatraz seem like a playground." In a moment of rage, Ray had almost slipped and said Henry's name, and he barely caught himself.

"I didn't want to hurt him," the Toddler replied, almost casually. "The bruise was just to show you I meant business. Kid Danger would never have gotten that cut if he didn't decide to be difficult."

"R-Ray!" Henry cried out, and Ray felt his heart skip a beat as Henry called his name. Henry wouldn't slip like that, so…

"What did you do to him?" Ray demanded, not even caring if his true identity was revealed at this point.

"Well, in your hide out, I used that dart in your hand to knock him out. It was filled with some sleepy time gas that knocked him out almost instantly. He came around a few times, but he never stayed awake longer than a minute or two, and when the drug finally wore off, I gave him a different drug," the Toddler answered.

Ray felt his skin drain of color as fear for Henry's health set in. There was a reason people said don't use drugs, and these drugs were used in Henry's kidnapping. The Toddler probably wouldn't care if the drugs hurt Henry or not.

The Toddler noticed his expression.

"The drugs won't cause permanent damage," the Toddler added. "At least in the doses I've given him, but it would be super easy for me to give him just a little bit too much…" The Toddler trailed off, menacingly.

Ray snarled.

"Ray!" Henry screamed again, and he sounded so scared and so confused, it broke Ray's heart.

The Toddler's permanent scowl deepened. "The drugs make him horribly confused. I don't know who this Ray guy is, but he's been calling him for the past hour. Too bad he won't see him again if you don't hurry, Captain Man," the Toddler sneered cruelly before the video ended.

Ray didn't feel any happiness about his secret identity staying intact; he only felt concern for Henry, his best friend, his sidekick, the child he'd never had.

In a flash, Ray was flying up the tube, his expression more determined than anyone in the town of Swellview and beyond had ever seen it.

* * *

Henry was extremely out of it. Everything was blurry, and none of his thoughts seemed to be making sense. For a moment, he even thought he was in the Man Cave before the truth crashed over him for a brief second before it was chased away by the drug-induced confusion.

"Ray!" Henry cried, desperately, his throat hoarse from crying out for the man he saw as a father.

"Shut up, kid!" The Toddler snarled, finally fed up with Henry's weak and frightened calls. "Or I'll duct tape your mouth shut!"

The drugs were only just beginning to wear off. Henry was still beyond confused, but at least he was awake now, if not completely aware.

He heard a rattle nearby like a cage door being slammed open.

What happened next happened too fast for Henry to process it. One minute, the Toddler was smirking and then he was screaming as strong hands threw him across the room. One minute, the Toddler was laying in a dazed heap on the other side of the room before he was gone, fleeing through the open door as another voice (Henry couldn't bring himself to recognize it. He felt like he was hearing everything from underwater) said something that clearly frightened the Toddler. One minute, Henry was alone on the cot and then familiar arms were wrapped around him. One minute, Henry's vision was sickeningly blurry, but then, his vision came into focus, and the blurry blob cleared until he saw Ray's face gazing down at him in concern. One minute, Henry was terrified, but then, he saw Ray, and he wasn't scared anymore.

"Ray," Henry murmured (he refused to admit he whimpered) as Ray clutched him tighter, and Ray smelled like strong Cologne with the dull scent of grass and laundry detergent and the sharp scent of ozone and campfire smoke that Henry had associated with Ray since they first met. To most people, a combination of these smells would be disgusting, but to Henry… Ray smelled like home.

"Henry." Henry had never heard Ray sound like that, so weak and vulnerable and caring, and he wasn't sure whether or not he liked it. Henry could feel Ray shaking with relief, and Henry wrapped his arms around his boss to reassure Ray that Henry was okay… because of Captain Man.

The minute Ray calmed down was the moment Henry broke. Maybe it was because he'd been trying to be strong for Ray, and the moment he was sure Ray wouldn't break if Henry wasn't there to hold him, Henry had his own turn to break down.

"I was so scared," Henry sobbed into Ray's chest, inhaling the smell of his best friend to ground him, to remind him that he was safe, that everything would be okay.

"I know," Ray hushed. "But I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Never again."

Henry knew it was childish, but he was still feeling the confusion the drugs brought and he'd been through a lot that day, so he held out his pinky finger.

"Promise?" Henry mumbled in a shaky tone.

Ray smiled and hooked his finger around Henry's. "Promise."

Ray held his sidekick close, keeping Henry warm and making the boy feel safe as he wiped the blood from Henry's head. As Henry fell back into a blissful sleep once more, Ray lifted Henry off of the cot and walked out of the Toddler's lair without looking back. The Toddler had gotten more than he bargained for when he messed with Captain Man's side kick, and he realized that very quickly the minute Ray burst through the door, tone low and petrifying, eyes burning with a loyal, protective kind of rage, like a Mama Bear protecting her cubs… or like a parent protecting their child.

From that day on, only the most daring criminals dared to mess with Kid Danger, and the few that did regretted it. Before anyone could blink, every criminal in Swellview knew better than to mess with Captain Man's sidekick.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading. Once again, I apologize for the long wait, and I will try to be back as soon as I can with chapter 12. I have, like, 50 ideas for chapters, so I need to get working on it._

 _I hope you have a nice day, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I think it's been my favorite one to write so far._


	12. Stronger Than Caskets

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION: I HAVE A POLL ON MY PROFILE PAGE; IT'S ABOUT SOME REWRITES. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT IF YOU CAN!**

 _-Note: this story will not be rewritten, but all chapters will be edited (and some chapters will possibly be rewritten if they need to be)._

 _EPISODE: GRAVE DANGER_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Henry Danger or the characters or anything that you recognize.**

* * *

"You're kidding, right?" Henry inquired.

Charlotte shook her head. "I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Invisible Brad wanted to take your position as Ray's sidekick, so it's safe to say he would be pretty mad he didn't get you to quit. We knew Brad for less than a week, but we all know he was crazy. Do you think he was crazy enough to fake his own death?"

"He would have an advantage," Shwoz agreed. "After all, nobody could have _seen_ him get hit by the bus. Ray went to his funeral, but Brad is invisible. There wouldn't exactly be something to see in the casket, whether Brad was there or not."

"It does make sense when you think about it," Henry pointed out. "But we're going to need proof. There's no way Ray would believe us."

"He might. I mean, he did wake up with his bed covered in spaghetti, not to mention the incident with his underwear all over the walls," Charlotte told him.

Henry sighed. "Still. Ray has enough to deal with right now. I don't want to drag him out to the cemetery in case we find out Brad really is dead. Something tells me that would do more harm than good for Ray," Henry stated as he withdrew his gumball canister from his pocket, shaking it and dumping a small gumball into his hand.

"Wait, cemetery?" Charlotte repeated. "Why are you going out there?"

"Well, I need to figure out if Invisible Brad's alive. You have a better idea?" Henry questioned, chewing his gum and blowing the bubble, blinding green enveloping his body until it faded to reveal Henry now dressed in his Kid Danger uniform.

"Okay, but what if Invisible Brad is really dead?" Charlotte wondered as Henry ascended the steps onto the tube platform, grabbing a shovel and the anti-grav on the way and turning around once he stood under the tube.

"Then… I may need to invest in some therapy," Henry admitted with a shiver of disgust as he pressed the button on his belt, the tube descending around him. "Take care of Ray while I'm gone! Make sure he doesn't have any more breakdowns," Henry called. "UP THE TUBE!"

Henry Hart disappeared in a whoosh of air.

* * *

"Okay, okay," Henry muttered to himself, voice oddly loud in the silence of the cemetery. Henry preferred the silence. One, it meant no one was around to see Kid Danger digging up a casket. Two, the silence may have been eerie, but it would have been even creeper if the dead started talking. "Bradley Belcher, here it is."

Henry sighed to himself before lifting the shovel and getting to work…

* * *

"One thousand, three hundred, and one shovels of dirt," Henry sing songed in boredom as he tossed the dirt out of the hole, coughing as the action kicked up dust. He wasn't sure how long it had been, but it had to have been a least half an hour of _stick the shovel in the dirt, kick the shovel, lift the shovel, toss the dirt out of the hole_. The first ten minutes hadn't been too bad, but after that, the tedious work began to grow exhausting, and now, he was dirty, tired, thirsty, and frustrated (seriously, how deep were these graves anyway?). "One thousand, three hundred, and tw-"

 _Clunk_. His shovel hit something.

Henry could have cheered with relief as he hurled the shovel out of the six foot hole, and he climbed out of the grave, breathing heavily as he attached the anti-grav to the casket, feeling the heavy oak box suddenly become ten times lighter until it was about as difficult as lifting a textbook.

"Man, am I glad I remembered to grab that," Henry said to himself as he placed the casket on the ground beside the hole, and he grabbed the shovel, maneuvering it until it slid between the lid and the box. He heaved and grunted with effort as he pried the lid open, using the shovel as a makeshift crow bar.

The lid popped open, and Henry used the shovel to push the lid off, staring at the floral pattern of the padding inside the box.

On the bright side, it didn't _smell_ like a decomposing body, so that was a good sign, but that didn't make Henry any more willing to feel inside of a casket that may or may not have an invisible dead body inside.

"Ray owes me for this," he grumbled as he slowly reached towards the casket.

"Hi, there!"

Henry yelped at the all too familiar voice, flinging his arms out in every direction in search of the invisible menace, but before he could locate the deranged unseen villain, he felt something (the shovel, most likely) collide with his back, bruising the skin between his shoulder blades and causing him to fall face first into the casket.

By the time Henry was able to get his bearings and roll over, the lid of the casket was closed, sealing Henry in darkness. Henry pounded against the wood, but it didn't budge, and he could hear something… it was like a click, followed by a punching bang…

A nail gun.

"Brad!" Henry cried, refusing to admit he sounded desperate. "Let me out! What are you doing? I'll suffocate in here! Brad!"

Henry felt the casket being lifted, felt his stomach lurch with the sudden, unexpected movement, and he screamed until his throat hurt, hoping someone would hear him, but of course, no one did. The only people around (besides the crazy guy that had trapped him in a casket, anyway _)_ to hear him were dead.

The casket was being lowered into the hole Henry had dug, and something thumped onto the top of the casket.

Brad was filling the grave with dirt. He was burying Henry alive.

"Brad! BRAD! Stop! Please! I'll die! What the heck are you doing? Charlotte! Jasper! Somebody!" Henry screamed, panic taking control as he kicked and punched at the lid until he had bruises on his knees from banging his knee caps against the wood and scratches on his hands, caused by his relentless blows to the walls and ceiling of his new prison. "RAY!"

* * *

Ray woke up to the distinct feeling that something was wrong. It wasn't a sharp feeling, but it still gave him the impression that something wasn't quite right. The feeling had been on the edge of his mind for the past week or so, but now, it intensified until it was as strong as somebody breathing down his neck.

Ray stood up from his guest bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and combing his fingers through his hair in a poor attempt to look presentable before he stepped out of the room and headed for the Man Cave.

"Well, I don't know! He's not answering his phone."

Ray's footsteps slowed almost to a stop in his confusion. Charlotte? She shouldn't be at work. It was almost eight pm!

"Maybe he died," Shwoz stated, casually.

"Shwoz, you are not helping!" Charlotte almost screeched.

"I meant his phone died!"

"Well, you couldn't have worded that better? My point is Henry went to a cemetery alone to figure out if Invisible Brad is really dead."

Ray blinked. What were they talking about? Of course Invisible Brad was dead! He got hit by a bus!

"I'm a little worried about what could have happened to Henry in a secluded cemetery with an invisible maniac on the loose," Charlotte pointed out.

"For the record, you could just be overreacting. Maybe Invisible Brad is really dead, and when Henry figured that out after digging up his body, he went to the hospital for some much needed psychiatric care," Shwoz said. "I mean, it's not like he could've seen the body. He would have had to feel inside the casket, and if there's really a body in there, it's safe to say Henry is scarred for life."

"While that may be true, we should have heard something by now. If not from Henry, from his parents because if he's really in the hospital, the hospital would have called his parents, who would have called me and Jasper."

"Look, if you're _that_ worried, why don't you just out there yourself?"

"I'm thinking about it," Charlotte replied.

Ray had heard enough. "Neither of you are going," he spoke up as he stepped out of the hallway and descended the steps, the automatic gear shaped door closing behind him. "I'll go find Henry. Why would you send Henry to the cemetery alone instead of waking me up?"

Charlotte and Shwoz, after getting over the shock of Ray's sudden appearance, smiled, sheepishly.

"Henry was worried about you. He didn't want to stress you out anymore than you already were," Charlotte responded.

"Well, that's stupid because now, I'm even more stressed out due to the fact that my sidekick went to a cemetery alone with a crazy invisible person- who's supposed to be dead, I might add- on the loose!" Ray shouted, and Charlotte flushed as she realized that Ray did have a point. Shwoz grinned, not embarrassed at all, and kept eating potato chips from the bowl in his lap.

Ray deposited a gum ball in his hand with a shake of the canister, popping the gum ball into his mouth and blowing a bubble in a couple of fluid motions, not even pausing for the dramatic change into his uniform as he made his way to the tube. By the time the buckle on his belt was pressed and the tube descended around him, he was dressed as Captain Man, and Captain Man was on a mission.

"If I'm not back in an hour, send the police to the cemetery," Ray called. "UP THE TUBE!"

* * *

Breathe in.

Hold your breath, savor the slightly stale air soothing your aching lungs, and make the most out of the limited air in the enclosed space.

When your chest starts to hurt, breathe out.

Henry wasn't sure how long it had been. Hours, days, weeks, he didn't know. The logical side of his brain argued that it couldn't have been too long; if it had been days or weeks, he would have suffocated by now. But the waiting for a rescue that may never come was agonizing; every minute consisted of a waste of precious air. Each second ticked by like time was moving through molasses, and yet each second also seemed like a rabbit bounding around the clock, seconds blurring into minutes, minutes blurring into hours. Wasting air and wasting time.

Henry had long since given up the struggle for escape. His pointless screaming and battling against the coffin walls was only using more oxygen that he couldn't afford to waste.

His phone had no signal. No amount of screaming had drawn anyone to his location, and he had no idea how to get out of this stupid box!

Panic balanced on the edges of his mind, but the rest of his brain seemed to have shut down. All he wanted to do was sleep…

No. Henry jolted himself out of his near slumber, and he forced his eyes to remain open, hardly daring to blink. He couldn't sleep. He might not wake up.

Henry was starting to feel dizzy and fatigued as time went on; he was groggy, as if he had just woken up from a long nap, despite his battle to not fall asleep. He was nauseas and disoriented, and he didn't think he would know what two plus two was if somebody asked him.

Henry started to cry as the truth fully began to sink in, a truth he had been trying to ignore for the better part of his time in the grave.

Nobody was coming. He was going to die down here.

CLUNK!

* * *

Ray could not describe the heart wrenching terror that spiked through him when he spotted the familiar grave of Bradley Belcher, the grave he had stood beside months ago and dropped a flower in to mourn his lost friend, only to see fresh dirt compacted on top.

He tried to think about it rationally at first. Maybe Henry had dug up the casket and reburied it (after all, a dug up grave would be suspicious to anyone), but if so, why would he have left the shovel and the anti-grav behind?

Ray pulled out his phone and accessed the tracking app that linked to a small tracker in Henry's uniform. He had installed the tracker as a precaution, hoping he'd never have to use it, hoping that Henry would always be right by his side, where a sidekick… where his kid… should have been. Not lost and possibly scared or hurt or…

No. He wouldn't think like that.

The tracking app beeped, connecting to Henry's suit as the loading circle seemed to move at a snail's speed to Ray, until it finally gave one last beep, louder than the others, to inform him it had Henry's location.

Henry was… right here.

Ray frowned. How could that be? Henry was no where in si-

Oh, no.

If anyone had chosen that moment to walk by, they would have seen a possibly crazed Captain Man digging up the grave of Bradley Belcher, using a combination of tossed shovel fulls of dirt and even digging with his bare hands at times.

How long had Henry been there? Minutes, hours? How long could a person survive buried alive? Ray didn't know. It's not exactly a fact he needed to know very often.

Even working at top speed with all of his strength, pumped full of adrenaline and never slowing or stopping or even growing tired in the midst of his worry, it still took too long to find the casket.

CLUNK!

The shovel collided with the casket, and Ray sighed in relief as he used the anti-grav to lift the casket, not even pausing as he used the shovel to pry the lid open.

There was Henry. Lying still, too still.

Ray lifted his son **sidekick** out of the casket and laid him on the earth, staring at Henry's pale face, slack and lifeless and…

He wasn't breathing.

As a superhero, Ray knew CPR; unfortunately, it was something he had to use multiple times a year, sometimes multiple times a month. He just never thought he would have to use CPR on Henry.

He knew the dangers of being a superhero, but he thought… he thought he could protect Henry.

He was a fool.

Ray pinched Henry's nose and breathed into his mouth twice before beginning to press on his chest, telling his lungs to breathe and his heart to beat.

Nothing.

Ray cursed and administered the life saving technique once more.

Terrifying silence, and then… a gasp.

Henry coughed, and Ray smiled, rolling the boy onto his side to make sure he didn't choke himself as dry hacking racked his body.

Henry's coughing fit died down after a few moments, and Henry only laid there, eyes barely open and taking in deep breaths of air, as if unable to believe that an unlimited amount of oxygen still existed after so long in that box, buried beneath mounds of dirt, unable to escape, unable to breathe.

Ray almost cried just thinking about it.

Henry, though, actually began to sob when he managed to roll over enough to see who his savior was.

"Ray," Henry murmured, barely able to be heard, even in the silence of the cemetery.

"Yeah, kid, I'm here," Ray assured him.

Henry's sobs only grew louder, shaking his whole frame.

"I thought I was going to die in there," Henry confessed.

Ray swallowed, holding Henry close to his chest, as if trying to shield him from the horrors of the world. "I would never let that happen to you, kid. Never," he promised.

And yet, Henry was buried alive because Ray wasn't there to protect him…

…No. This wasn't his fault, but he knew whose fault it was.

Ray could have melted the headstone with the intensity of the glare he fixed on the name etched upon the stone.

* * *

For once, Charlotte was glad they couldn't see Invisible Brad.

"I'm taking off the uniform, so Ray won't be able to see me!" Brad shouted, stripping off the top layers of clothing and yanking off the mask, but before he could remove the pants, a sudden wind sounded as the tube deposited Ray on the platform.

He was carrying an unconscious or sleeping but thankfully very much alive Henry as he stepped off the platform.

"Hello, Brad," Ray greeted, coolly, no trace of emotion in his eyes. His face was frighteningly blank. "Charlotte, Shwoz… I'll handle it from here. Take Henry to my spare room, would you?"

Ray handed the slender lightweight of a boy to Shwoz, who barely budged under the extra weight, and the two of them didn't need to be told twice as they exited the Man Cave, leaving Brad and Ray alone.

Ray didn't give any indication of his movement beforehand. He simply raised his fist and sent it hurtling into the air towards where Brad's chin should be, causing the invisible man to go flying to the floor.

Ray knelt over the dazed but still conscious man, and his expressionless face as he said his next words served their intended purpose: to scare Brad witless.

"A part of me wants to kill you, and I know I would do it if I didn't also know that Kid Danger wouldn't look me in the eye again if I did. But I'm sure my sidekick won't have a problem with me having you locked up in Swellview Prison until the end of your days. The _actual_ end of your days this time."

Brad sputtered. "Ray, I-I'm your friend! That kid's just your dumb sidekick."

"No," Ray responded, confidence and finality in every syllable of his words. "In all of the ways that matter, he's my kid, and I will do anything to protect him. Any of those who forget that or choose to ignore that fact… let's just say they regret laying their hand on my sidekick, and soon enough, you'll regret it, too. A parent protects their kid. Always. And I will."


	13. Stronger Than Broken Noses

_Note: when the authors note says Episode: Name of episode (number), the number indicates the season and the episode number, so 1x02 is season 1, episode 2; 3x04 is season 3, episode 4; 5x20 is season 5, episode 20; and so on._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_** ** _._**

* * *

 **Title: Stronger Than Broken Noses**

 **EPISODE: Massage Chair (5x20)**

 **Rating: Low T to be safe**

 **Summary: In which Shwoz is an idiot (but an extremely apologetic idiot), Henry gets hurt and has a flashback, and Ray is way too overprotective.**

* * *

"Hey, man! You can't just throw stuff at u- what the heck, Ray?" Henry shouted, teetering dangerously on the uneven log that was not exactly designed to hold a 145 pound teenager that had just been thrown off balance due to a flying muffin. Henry batted countless foods out of the way (at least Ray had the sense to use soft foods, like bread, instead of hard foods, such as oranges or apples), balancing the best he could as he had to constantly weave and duck and flail in an attempt to avoid the thrown food while also staying on his log.

He wanted that massage chair (who wouldn't? It was awesome). All he had to do was wait it out, stay on his log until Charlotte and Jasper toppled off of their own logs, which would make him the winner of the challenge. He had fought dozens of criminals since he became Kid Danger, and he had dodged countless punches, kicks, and whatever blast or projectile the villain's weapon used (which included snake venom, _spider_ venom, bullets, knock out darts, bees, and a weird situation involving lemons and T-shirts) while staying on his feet and landing a few blows of his own. If he could do that, he could dodge the food Ray and Shwoz were throwing at him while staying on this log.

Jasper fell off his log with a groan, and Henry barely had time to glance at Jasper, who was rolling around on the floor, clutching his stomach where the remains of a thrown banana nut muffin littered his shirt with crumbs, and give a triumphant smile (one down, one to go) before he returned his focus to Shwoz and Ray, his confidence increasing as he noted the small amount of food left in the bowl Ray was holding.

He had braced himself to withstand another muffin attack, but he had not prepared himself for the tennis balls.

Henry cried out in surprise, bending so far back that he nearly found himself in a full on back bend (Henry was pretty flexible, but this act of gymnastics was horribly uncomfortable). The tennis ball soared over his head and hit the wall so hard, it dented the metal.

"Shwoz!" Ray yelled, but it was too late. Another tennis ball was already hurtling towards Henry at a speed he could have only beat if he still had super fast reflexes, but thanks to that jerk, Rick Twitler, he didn't stand a chance. There was no way he could dodge a tennis ball coming towards him at ninety miles an hour.

He didn't even have time to brace himself before the impact.

Henry didn't scream as the tennis ball hit his face. Even if he did, whatever sound of pain Henry would have made would have been drowned out by the CRUNCH that sounded as the tennis ball hit his nose. Henry toppled backwards, his head spinning with dizziness as the pain overwhelmed him, and Henry hit the ground with a gargled groan, too distracted by the agonizing throbbing in his nose to stop his head from cracking against the metallic floor of the Man Cave. He moaned louder as a new pain wracked his skull, intensifying the pain he already felt.

His hands reached up to hold his face, something boiling hot and smelling of iron dripping down his hands, and for a moment, he thought it was tears, and maybe some of it was, but as he forced his eyes (which he was pretty sure were swelling) open, he saw nothing but scarlet rivers coursing down his hands and staining his fingers like he had dipped his hand in a bucket of crimson paint. His hands were still cradling his face and hovering over his nose as if he could protect it (even though any hope of protection had flown out the window the minute that tennis ball hit him in the face), and a wave of nausea washed over him as he realized that beneath his hands, which were touching his wounded nose with a feather-light touch, his nose felt slightly off, even crooked, as if someone had bent the cartilage and bone out of shape. With that thought, he thought he might throw up in disgust, but he swallowed the bile that was trying to claw its way up his throat. Something told him that vomiting might make his face, nose, head, and basically entire body hurt worse.

Henry gulped again to keep any more stomach acid from making its way up his esophagus and winced at the metallic taste in his mouth, wondering if he had bitten his tongue, but no. Instead, the blood from his nose had poured down his face like a sanguine waterfall, flooding his mouth and sticking to his chin and likely staining his shirt (his pain-addled mind blearily thought, _That will never come out. Mom is going to kill me for that_ ). Pain flared across his face, burning his cheeks and biting deep into his cranium as if the agony had soaked straight into his brain. He knew that was irrational, but in that moment, logic had promptly packed its bags and walked out the front door.

However, the pain couldn't remain all consuming forever as the flames of agony started to die, fading slowly into a deeply rooted throbbing. Even if the roaring tsunami of pain had passed, the aftermath was still far from comfortable. His head felt like someone had replaced his brain with a bass drum, and his nose was still pulsing sickeningly. The blood flow had slowed, but there was still the disgusting taste of iron on his tongue, not to mention the warm stickiness that was caked on his chin and cheeks. He could barely see out of one eye, and he had been in enough fights to recognize the feeling of a developing bruise on his left cheek.

It was only after the blood pounding in his ears had quieted some that he realized that someone was calling his name.

"Henry? Henry! Jasper, where is that darn first aid kit?"

"I got it! Hey, did you know that the Man Cave has an entire cabinet full of these things? Seriously, who needs that many first aid kit-"

"Superheroes that fight villains on a daily basis in _spandex!_ Now, give me it!"

Henry heard a scuffle, and he wondered if that meant the first voice was snatching the first aid kit from the owner of the second voice. He also felt he should recognize the voices, but he was too focused on the pain in his nose and head to worry about that right now.

Something touched his nose, and a new blast of pain exploded in the broken bone. He yelped, and his instincts (the instincts he had acquired in his experience as a sidekick) kicked in as he sent one foot crashing into what he assumed to be the person's chest. He heard an _oof!_ as the air was knocked out of the person, the person getting thrown backwards by the force of the kick, and he heard them hit the floor.

What was going on? He was obviously hurt, and he knew he remembered how he got hurt, but the memory was just out of reach. What had happened? Had they been fighting a super villain, and if so, which one? There were a lot of possibilities. It could be Dr. Maniac (they hadn't seen him in a while. It was only a matter of time before he decided to strike) or Rick Twitler (had he regained his memory?) or the Toddler (had the freak in the diaper escaped prison _again?)_ or Jeff. There were dozens, if not over a hundred, villains they had fought over the years. For all he knew, the Mole People had decided to seek revenge!

But wait a minute. If they were fighting a villain (who had apparently injured Henry. Man, he needed to get in more sparring lessons with Ray), that meant… Captain Man would have been with him, and Captain Man was…

Ray. Where was Ray? Was he okay?

Henry tried to cry out for his boss, for his friend, but all that escaped his mouth was a spray of blood and a gargled gasp. Someone was grabbing his arm, and he used all of his strength (fueled by his need to find Ray, and his need to protect his friend overpowered any pain there might have been) to flip the person. They landed beside him with a groan, and he tried to scramble to his feet, but his nose gave another throb of agony, as if saying, _hey! Remember me?_

"Henry! Henry… you're okay."

He knew that voice. It was oddly calming, but no. He had to find Ray. No time to listen to the soothing voice.

"Ray," he choked out, wishing he could pry open his eyes, but one of them was swollen shut, and the other seemed to be disobeying his commands, choosing to stay shut and block out the danger. Ha, as if that ever worked before.

"I'm here, kid. It's me, Ray."

It was? Oh, well, that solved that problem. But there was another problem.

"Crim-Criminal," Henry stammered, feeling as if he was speaking underwater with all of the blood inundating his mouth.

"No," Ray said, and Henry felt his friend, his father figure, holding onto him, and the familiar touch helped to calm Henry's racing heart. "Well, unless you count Shwoz."

Ray sounded really angry all of a sudden, and Henry didn't want Ray to be angry. Why would Ray be mad? Had he messed up on a mission? That happened a lot, it seemed. Henry couldn't contain a whimper at the rage filled tone his boss used, wondering if the anger was directed at him.

The whimper was quiet, he was sure, but Ray heard it, and Ray helped Henry sit up a little until Ray was practically holding his sidekick in his arms.

"Sorry, kid. There's no criminal. Shwoz hit you with a tennis ball and broke your nose, but we're gonna fix you right up. Charlotte is going to wipe the blood off of your face, and it'll hurt a little, but I need you to try to lie still, okay? I'm right here."

Henry felt almost like he had awoken from a strange dream. You know that feeling when you wake up from a nap and feel like you're in another dimension? Kind of like that, I guess. As if nothing truly felt real. He didn't think he had a concussion (he had had a few of those before, and this didn't feel like one), so he wasn't sure why he had felt so disorientated. Maybe he had hit his head harder than he thought, or maybe the tennis ball had decided a broken nose wasn't enough and hit him hard enough to give him a head injury, too.

This was going to be _oh, so_ fun to explain to his parents. Note the sarcasm.

Something touched his nose, and Henry jumped, but Ray was still holding him tightly, and he knew his da-friend would never let any harm come to him, so he tried to do as Ray said and sit still, even when the person jostled his injury a little bit.

"Sorry," the person, whose voice he now recognized as Charlotte's, said, nervously, and she continued to clean the blood from his face with a cold wipe that smelled of alcohol.

A few moments later, and he no longer felt that stickiness encrusted all over his chin, and when he licked his lips, they didn't taste like rusty metal, thankfully. His left eye was still swollen shut, and he knew there would be one heck of a bruise on his left cheek, not to mention the fact that his nose still felt like someone had hit it with sledge hammer, but he felt a lot better without all of the blood covering his face (if only psychologically and not physically).

"This actually doesn't look too bad," Charlotte mused. "Small cut and contusion on the left cheekbone; you'll have a black eye tomorrow, but the swelling should go down. As for the nose, we need to set it so that it can heal."

Set it? Henry was not a doctor, but he had had broken bones before, and he knew what that meant. He rapidly shook his head, trying to keep Charlotte from going anywhere near his nose.

"The only problem is… I don't know how to set a broken bone. The only one here who does is…" Charlotte trailed off, ignoring Henry's protesting for the time being.

"No. No way," Ray growled, holding Henry tighter like the boy was a teddy bear about to be taken away.

"Ray, he's the only one here who knows how!" Charlotte pointed out.

"He is not going anywhere near m-the kid!" Ray snapped, hoping nobody noticed his little slip up.

(Charlotte had noticed, but that was a conversation for later.)

"Ray, I didn't mean to hurt him-" Shwoz said, his accent even thicker due to worry and guilt.

"Well, you did! What made you think that launching tennis balls at them was a good idea?" Ray spat.

"You said to throw things at them!"

"Not tennis balls at ninety miles an hour!"

"Guys!" Jasper screamed, more serious than he had been in a long time. "Not the time! Ray, yes, he hurt Henry, but he's also the only one here who can help him!"

Ray was silent as he considered this.

"Fine," Ray begrudgingly agreed. "But if you hurt him more than you already have, I will hurt you, Shwoz, and I won't let Charlotte and Jasper hold me back this time!"

This time? Henry thought before he felt small, precise, and slightly hairy fingers touch his nose, and he wildly shook his head, probably causing himself more pain, to get Shwoz to stop.

"Henry! Henry, I know it will hurt, but the pain will be over soon. He can't help you if you don't keep your head still!" Charlotte said, but Henry only shook his head more fiercely.

"Ray, you have to hold his head," Shwoz told Captain Man.

"What? You want me to go him down? Are you cr-"

"Ray! Henry can't heal until Shwoz puts his nose back into place, and Shwoz can't do that if Henry is shaking his head like a wet dog!" Jasper pointed out.

Ray sighed, but Henry knew the man saw Jasper's point, and the superhero placed his hands on either side of Henry's head to keep him still.

The betrayed look on the pained and dazed Henry's face broke Ray's heart as Shwoz snapped Henry's nose back into its normal position in one swift movement. A nauseating crick could be heard as the bones realigned, and Shwoz used a bandage to keep Henry's nose straight so that the bones could heal properly, placing a small brace-like object over the bandages to keep them in place.

Ray sighed in relief. It was done.

Henry breathed heavily, gasps of pain leaving his mouth, followed by shaky inhales, only for the process to repeat. His fingers dug into Ray's forearm, and if Ray wasn't indestructible, he was sure there would have been bruises from Henry gripping his arm too tightly. Henry sagged against Ray like a marionette with its strings cut, and Ray held his son in all but blood close to his chest.

"Get some rest, Hen. Okay?" Ray murmured, running his fingers through Henry's blonde hair, mindful of any head injury the young sidekick might have had.

Henry really liked the sound of that. He didn't realize how tired he was until that moment, and despite the pain still present in his face, it wasn't hard to drift off to sleep in Ray's comforting embrace.

He felt safe. He felt protected. He felt loved.

* * *

Henry woke up feeling like he had a stuffy nose and sinus pressure, and for the few seconds in his half-awake-half-asleep state, he wondered if he had caught a cold, but then, the memory of the massage chair, the competitions, and the unfortunate collision with a tennis ball resurfaced.

"What happened?" Henry murmured. Sure, he remembered getting hit by the tennis ball, but everything after that was fuzzy. And why did his nose feel so stuffed? He could already feel the sinus headache that was just _begging_ to happen.

"You caught a tennis ball with your face, and it broke your nose."

Henry looked up, taken aback by Ray's sudden appearance (or had he been standing there the whole time?) as the indestructible man leaned casually against the doorway, sipping from his favorite Captain Man mug (which Henry is pretty sure Piper sent Captain Man that mug on his birthday, a present from the Captain Man Fan Club and their president).

Ray looked terrible. His eyes were shadowed by dark circles as if someone had tattooed them there, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep standing up. He was dressed in a white shirt with blue long sleeves and matching blue sleep pants, his hair a tussled mess.

"Ray, you look terrible!" Henry exclaimed, bluntly.

Ray chuckled. "Thanks. You look swell yourself," Ray said, sarcastically as he took a seat on the edge of the bed, and Henry noted that he was in Ray's guest room. He had stayed there plenty of times, and he was darn tired of waking up in this bed after he got hurt (if that tells you how many times he's gotten hurt).

"You know, I might as well put your name on the door with the amount of times you're in here. Also, a good three quarters of the times you've stayed in here, you were hurt, I might add," Ray stated, and Henry laughed because he had just thought the same thing.

"So what happened after I got a tennis ball to the face. It's all a little fuzzy," Henry admitted, and Ray stared into his cup of coffee.

"I bet," Ray agreed. "Well, you got knocked off your log. The tennis ball broke your nose, so it was gushing blood _everywhere_ , and it gave you a black eye and a pretty nasty bruise on your cheek. You were a little confused, which was understandable since you had gotten a tennis ball to the head and then hit your head again when you fell off your log. Luckily, no concussion, but you'll probably have a headache for a few days. Charlotte tried to take care of your nose, but you thought she was a criminal, so you kicked her smack in the sternum."

Henry sighed, his head falling back into the pillow with a barely audible thump. "Char… dang it, is she okay?" he asked, guilt coursing through his system as he realized that he had delivered a no doubt painful hit to his best friend.

Ray nodded, looking up from his cup of coffee. "Yeah, she's good. She'll have a sneaker shaped bruise for a week or two, but she's good, and she forgives you. You were confused and panicked, and you acted out of instinct. Happens to the best of us," Ray informed him.

Henry frowned, catching the tone in Ray's voice that implied more than what the words said.

"You've had flashbacks, too?" Henry realized, finding it hard to believe that Captain Man, indestructible, experienced superhero, could have flashbacks or panic attacks.

Ray raised an eyebrow. "Of course I have! I've been a full-fledged superhero since I was twenty-three. I've fought so many criminals, countless villains. Just because I can't be hurt doesn't mean I can't be affected by what I do and by my experiences. I take it this wasn't your first flashback?"

Henry blushed as he realized his mistake before shaking his head to confirm Ray's suspicions.

"You don't have to be ashamed of it, kid," Ray assured him. "It happens to a lot of heroes, if not all of them."

" _You're_ the superhero. I'm just your sidekick," Henry pointed out. Henry didn't deserve to have flashbacks; he barely did anything. Captain Man usually handled everything, and Henry relied on Ray's indestructibility and his gadgets to get them out of any situation. He used to rely on his power, but now that that was gone… what did that make him? Certainly not _super_.

Ray scoffed in disbelief. "Is that what you think?" he laughed. "Henry, who saved the world from Rick Twitler? Which one of us gave up his super power to save the world? I'll give you a hint: it wasn't me.

"Who saved me from the Toddler on his _first_ day on the job? I can tell you I didn't save myself.

"Who stopped Drax? Sure, your super power helped, but it took great courage to go face the guy who humiliated you, with or without powers.

"Who has given me my confidence back multiple times when I had lost it one way or another. Remember when I lost my powers because of the Jolly Beetle? You told me to get off my butt and go protect Swellview! Not only that, but when I lost my powers, I became helplessly scared, and I moped for days. When _you_ lost _your_ powers, less than twenty minutes later, you were back to fighting crime. By my side.

"There are countless things I could not have done without a great sidekick, and you are the best sidekick I could ask for, Henry. The best…" Ray hesitated, unsure of how Henry would react to what he was about to say, but he remembered Henry lying on the floor of the Man Cave, bloody and confused, remembered his horror and concern and the protective instincts that raced to the surface, resulting in him nearly killing Shwoz (he's pretty sure he traumatized the poor mechanic. He almost felt bad, but considering Shwoz had broken Henry's nose… he _almost_ felt bad). He remembered Henry clutching onto him like a frightened child, remembered Henry crying out for him in fear and worry. He remembered it all. "The best… kid I could ask for."

He watched Henry as the boy slowly began to gasp what Ray was saying, watched the boy's eyes widen as he realized what Ray had said, and he waited for Henry to say something. Anything. He felt like he had just poured his heart out in seven words, and it left him feeling more vulnerable than the indestructible man had felt in a very long time.

Henry, meanwhile, could hardly believe what he was hearing. Ray was a kind of person who didn't trust easily. He could trust somebody with his life; he trusted Henry with his life, even trusted Charlotte, Shwoz, and Jasper with his life and his secret identity, but he didn't trust just anybody with his heart. And here he was, trusting Henry, knowing all too well that Henry could spit on Ray's feelings and walk away or simply succumb to the awkwardness that would linger in the air for a long time if Henry didn't see Ray as his family like Ray clearly saw him.

But Henry _did_ see Ray as his family, as his dad. He loved his father, yes, but his father was immature, not exactly devoted to protecting and loving his children. Henry had no doubt that his father loved him, but whatever love his biological father felt for him was nothing compared to the love Ray showed him. Ray did not just _feel_ love for Henry, his kid in all but blood; he _showed_ that he loved Henry. He protected him, cared for him, and he made sure that Henry had no doubt in his mind that Ray loved him. Henry loved his father, and his father loved him, but Jake Hart would always just be his father, not his dad. Ray Manchester was his dad. His family.

Ray shuffled nervously. Henry had been quiet for a long time, and he was bracing himself for… well, he didn't know what, so he simply braced himself.

Whatever he had expected, though, it was not a hug. Henry moved so suddenly, Ray didn't even notice the movement until Henry had his arms wrapped around him.

"Thanks. I-I love you, too… Dad," Henry said.

Ray Manchester, aka Captain Man, did not cry easily, but even the brave, strong superhero could not prevent a few tears from slipping down his face as his kid hugged him. He had lived so many years alone, but now… now, he had so much more than he ever could have hoped for. He finally had a family.


End file.
